Ranunculus adoneus |
Ranunculus parviflorus |
|
---|---|---|
alpine buttercup |
few flower buttercup, small-flower buttercup, sticktight buttercup |
|
Roots | slender, 0.8-1.4 mm thick. |
|
Stems | erect from large caudices, 9-25 cm, glabrous, each with 1-3 flowers. |
erect or nearly erect, hispid. |
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. |
|
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. |
pedicellate; receptacle glabrous; sepals 5, reflexed, 1.5-2 × 0.8-1.2 mm, densely pubescent; petals 0-5, 1.1-1.8 × 0.2-0.7 mm. |
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. |
globose, 3-5 × 3-5 mm; achenes 10-20 per head, 1.7-2 × 1.4-1.7 mm, faces papillose, each papilla crowned with hooked bristle, otherwise glabrous, margin smooth; beak deltate with slender recurved tip, 0.4-0.6 mm. |
2 | n = 16. |
|
Basal | and lower cauline leaf blades semicircular or reniform, 3-parted or -divided, 1.5-3.2 × 1-2.4 cm, again lobed, base cordate, margins dentate, apex rounded. |
|
Ranunculus adoneus |
Ranunculus parviflorus |
|
Phenology | Flowering spring–summer (Mar–Jul). | |
Habitat | Spring-summer (May–Sep). Alpine and subalpine meadows, usually around melting snowbanks | Roadsides, fields, and woods |
Elevation | 2500-4000 m (8200-13100 ft) | 50-200 m (200-700 ft) |
Distribution |
CO; ID; MT; NV; UT; WY
|
AL; AR; CA; FL; GA; IL; KY; LA; MD; MO; MS; NC; NJ; NY; OK; SC; TN; TX; VA; native to Europe; Pacific Islands; Australia [Introduced in North America]
|
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. Echinella |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | R. adoneus var. alpinus, R. eschscholtzii var. adoneus, R. eschscholtzii var. alpinus | |
Name authority | A. Gray: Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 15: 56. (1863) | Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. ed. 2, 1: 780. (1762) |
Web links |
|