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alpine buttercup

creeping buttercup, crowfoot, double flower creeping buttercup, renoncule rampante, spot-leaf crowfoot

Roots

slender, 0.8-1.4 mm thick.

never tuberous.

Stems

erect from large caudices, 9-25 cm, glabrous, each with 1-3 flowers.

decumbent or creeping, rooting nodally, hispid to strigose or almost glabrous, base not bulbous.

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.

blades ovate to reniform in outline, 3-foliolate, 1-8.5 × 1.5-10 cm, leaflets lobed, parted, or parted and again lobed, ultimate segments obovate to elliptic or sometimes narrowly oblong, margins toothed, apex obtuse to acuminate.

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 hispid or rarely glabrous;

sepals spreading or reflexed from base, 4-7(-10) × 1.5-3(-4) mm, hispid or sometimes glabrous;

petals 5(-150), yellow, 6-18 × 5-12 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 or ovoid, 5-10 × 5-8 mm;

achenes 2.6-3.2 × 2-2.8 mm, glabrous, margin forming narrow rib 0.1-0.2 mm wide;

beak persistent, lanceolate to lance-filiform, curved, 0.8-1.2 mm.

2

n = 16.

2n

= 14, 32.

Ranunculus adoneus

Ranunculus repens

Phenology Flowering late winter–summer (Mar–Aug).
Habitat Spring-summer (May–Sep). Alpine and subalpine meadows, usually around melting snowbanks Meadows, borders of marshes, lawns, roadsides
Elevation 2500-4000 m (8200-13100 ft) 0-2500 m (0-8200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CO; ID; MT; NV; UT; WY
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; AL; AR; CA; CT; DC; DE; IA; ID; IL; IN; KY; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MT; NC; NE; NH; NJ; NV; NY; OH; OR; PA; RI; SC; SD; TN; TX; UT; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; WY; AB; BC; NB; NF; NS; ON; PE; QC; YT; SPM; Central America; South America; Pacific Islands; Greenland; native to Eurasia; Australia [Introduced in North America]
[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.)

Ranunculus repens is widely naturalized in many parts of the world. Plants with sparse pubescence have been called R. repens var. glabratus. Horticultural forms with the outer stamens transformed into numerous extra petals occasionally become established and have been called R. repens var. pleniflorus. These variants have no taxonomic significance.

(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. Ranunculus
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. 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. 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. repens var. erectus, R. repens var. glabratus, R. repens var. linearilobus, R. repens var. pleniflorus, R. repens var. villosus
Name authority A. Gray: Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 15: 56. (1863) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 554. (1753)
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