Ranunculus adoneus |
Ranunculus laxicaulis |
|
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alpine buttercup |
Mississippi buttercup |
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Roots | slender, 0.8-1.4 mm thick. |
not thickened basally, glabrous. |
Stems | erect from large caudices, 9-25 cm, glabrous, each with 1-3 flowers. |
erect or ascending, often rooting at proximal nodes, glabrous or sparsely pilose. |
Basal leaves | persistent, blades circular to reniform in outline, 2-3x-dissected into linear segments, 0.9-2.5 × 1.1-2.8 cm, base obtuse, margins entire, apices of segments narrowly rounded to acute. |
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Proximal cauline leaf blades | ovate to lanceolate or narrowly elliptic, 1.5-5.7 × 0.4-2.4 cm, base cordate to acute, margins finely denticulate or entire, apex broadly rounded to acuminate. |
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Inflorescences | bracts linear to lanceolate or oblanceolate. |
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Flowers | pedicels glabrous; receptacle glabrous; sepals 4-11 × 3-7 mm, abaxially sparsely pilose, hairs colorless; petals 5-10, 8-15 × 8-19 mm; nectary scale glabrous. |
receptacle glabrous; sepals 4-5, spreading or reflexed from base, 2-3 × 1.5-3 mm, glabrous or pubescent; petals 4-6, 2-6 × 1-2 mm; nectary scales glabrous. |
Heads of achenes | ovoid, 6-12 × 5-9 mm; achenes 1.8-2.4 × 1-1.4 mm, glabrous or nearly so; beak subulate, straight, 1.2-1.7 mm. |
hemispheric to ovoid, 2-4 × 2-3 mm; achenes 0.8-1 × 0.8 mm, glabrous; beak deciduous, leaving stump 0.1-0.2 mm. |
2 | n = 16. |
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Ranunculus adoneus |
Ranunculus laxicaulis |
|
Phenology | Flowering late winter–summer (Mar–Jul). | |
Habitat | Spring-summer (May–Sep). Alpine and subalpine meadows, usually around melting snowbanks | Around ponds and ditches, in meadows, roadsides, and open woods |
Elevation | 2500-4000 m (8200-13100 ft) | 0-100 m (0-300 ft) |
Distribution |
CO; ID; MT; NV; UT; WY
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AL; AR; DE; GA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MD; MO; MS; NC; NJ; OK; SC; TN; TX; VA
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Discussion | Most collections of Ranunculus adoneus from Colorado, including the type specimen, tend to be small, with narrow leaf segments (only 0.5-1 mm wide) and large flowers. The more widespread form, with leaf segments 1-2 mm wide and more variable flowers, has been called R. adoneus var. alpinus. The leaf and flower characteristics are very poorly correlated, however, and specimens referable to var. alpinus vary greatly in stature and flower size, so the two forms scarcely merit formal recognition. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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Source | FNA vol. 3. | FNA vol. 3. |
Parent taxa | Ranunculaceae > Ranunculus > subg. Ranunculus > sect. Epirotes | Ranunculaceae > Ranunculus > subg. Ranunculus > sect. Flammula |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | R. adoneus var. alpinus, R. eschscholtzii var. adoneus, R. eschscholtzii var. alpinus | R. mississippiensis, R. subcordatus, R. texensis |
Name authority | A. Gray: Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 15: 56. (1863) | Darby: Man. Bot. 2: 4. (1841) |
Web links |