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alpine buttercup

Mississippi buttercup

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.

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.

Inflorescences

bracts linear to lanceolate or oblanceolate.

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.

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
from FNA
CO; ID; MT; NV; UT; WY
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; AR; DE; GA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MD; MO; MS; NC; NJ; OK; SC; TN; TX; VA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
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.)

Source FNA vol. 3. FNA vol. 3.
Parent taxa Ranunculaceae > Ranunculus > subg. Ranunculus > sect. Epirotes Ranunculaceae > Ranunculus > subg. Ranunculus > sect. Flammula
Sibling taxa
R. abortivus, R. acriformis, R. acris, R. alismifolius, R. allegheniensis, R. allenii, R. ambigens, R. andersonii, R. aquatilis, R. arizonicus, R. arvensis, R. auricomus, R. austro-oreganus, R. bonariensis, R. bulbosus, R. californicus, R. canus, R. cardiophyllus, R. cooleyae, R. cymbalaria, R. eschscholtzii, R. fascicularis, R. fasciculatus, R. ficaria, R. flabellaris, R. flammula, R. gelidus, R. glaberrimus, R. glacialis, R. gmelinii, R. gormanii, R. harveyi, R. hebecarpus, R. hederaceus, R. hispidus, R. hydrocharoides, R. hyperboreus, R. hystriculus, R. inamoenus, R. jovis, R. kamtschaticus, R. lapponicus, R. laxicaulis, R. lobbii, R. macauleyi, R. macounii, R. macranthus, R. marginatus, R. micranthus, R. muricatus, R. nivalis, R. occidentalis, R. oresterus, R. orthorhynchus, R. pacificus, R. pallasii, R. parviflorus, R. pedatifidus, R. pensylvanicus, R. platensis, R. populago, R. pusillus, R. pygmaeus, R. ranunculinus, R. recurvatus, R. repens, R. rhomboideus, R. sabinei, R. sardous, R. sceleratus, R. sulphureus, R. testiculatus, R. trilobus, R. triternatus, R. turneri, R. uncinatus
R. abortivus, R. acriformis, R. acris, R. adoneus, R. alismifolius, R. allegheniensis, R. allenii, R. ambigens, R. andersonii, R. aquatilis, R. arizonicus, R. arvensis, R. auricomus, R. austro-oreganus, R. bonariensis, R. bulbosus, R. californicus, R. canus, R. cardiophyllus, R. cooleyae, R. cymbalaria, R. eschscholtzii, R. fascicularis, R. fasciculatus, R. ficaria, R. flabellaris, R. flammula, R. gelidus, R. glaberrimus, R. glacialis, R. gmelinii, R. gormanii, R. harveyi, R. hebecarpus, R. hederaceus, R. hispidus, R. hydrocharoides, R. hyperboreus, R. hystriculus, R. inamoenus, R. jovis, R. kamtschaticus, R. lapponicus, R. lobbii, R. macauleyi, R. macounii, R. macranthus, R. marginatus, R. micranthus, R. muricatus, R. nivalis, R. occidentalis, R. oresterus, R. orthorhynchus, R. pacificus, R. pallasii, R. parviflorus, R. pedatifidus, R. pensylvanicus, R. platensis, R. populago, R. pusillus, R. pygmaeus, R. ranunculinus, R. recurvatus, R. repens, R. rhomboideus, R. sabinei, R. sardous, R. sceleratus, R. sulphureus, R. testiculatus, R. trilobus, R. triternatus, R. turneri, R. uncinatus
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)
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