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renoncule aquatique, water buttercup, water crowfoot, white water butter cup, white water crowfoot, white water crowsfoot, white western buttercup

Ranunculus austro-oreganus

southern Oregon buttercup

Roots

never tuberous.

Stems

glabrous.

erect or ascending, never rooting nodally, crisped-pilose, base not bulbous.

Leaves

laminate and filiform-dissected; laminate leaf blades reniform, 3-parted, 0.4-1.1 × 0.7-2.3 cm, segments obovate or fan-shaped, shallowly cleft, margins crenate;

filiform-dissected leaves with stipules gradually tapering upward, connate for their whole length.

Basal leaf

blades broadly rhombic to semicircular in outline, 3-parted, 2.8-4.3 × 3-5.5 cm, segments 3-lobed, ultimate segments lanceolate, margins entire or toothed, apex narrowly acute or acuminate.

Flowers

receptacle hispid, rarely glabrous;

sepals spreading or reflexed, 2-4 × 1-2 mm, glabrous;

petals 5, 4-7 × 1-5 mm;

style 0.1-0.8 mm.

receptacle glabrous;

sepals reflexed 1 mm above base, 4-6 × 1.5-3 mm, densely pilose;

petals 5, abaxially red, adaxially yellow, 10-12 × 4-6 mm.

Fruiting pedicels

usually recurved.

Heads of achenes

hemispheric to ovoid, 2-4 × 2-5 mm;

achenes 1-2 × 0.8-1.4 mm, glabrous or hispid;

beak persistent, filiform, 0.1-1.2 mm.

hemispheric, 4-7 × 7-10 mm;

achenes 3.4-4.2 × 2.8-3.2 mm, sometimes basally pilose, margin forming narrow rib 0.1-0.2 mm wide;

beak persistent, lance-subulate, straight or somewhat curved distally, 1.6-2.6 mm.

Ranunculus aquatilis

Ranunculus austro-oreganus

Phenology Flowering spring (May).
Habitat Grassy hillsides
Elevation 500 m (1600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AK; AL; AR; AZ; CA; CO; CT; DE; IA; ID; IL; IN; KS; KY; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MT; NC; ND; NE; NH; NJ; NM; NV; NY; OH; OK; OR; PA; RI; SC; SD; TN; TX; UT; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; WY; AB; BC; MB; NB; NF; NS; NT; ON; PE; QC; SK; YT; Eurasia
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
OR
Discussion

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

Ranunculus aquatilis is very variable. In the past it has often been treated as three or four species and many varieties. These segregate taxa have been based on the size, petiolation and rigidity of the leaves (now known to be primarily under environmental control), petal size and curvature of the fruiting pedicel (both sometimes variable along single stem), and number of achenes per head and length of achene beak (which vary continuously and are not correlated with one another). Unless reliable characters can be found, only two of the taxa recognized in older floras can be maintained.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Of conservation concern.

Ranunculus austro-oreganus is doubtfully distinct from R. occidentalis var. howellii. L. D. Benson (1954) described the stem as bulbous-based and similar to that of R. bulbosus, but a differentiated base is not evident in material I have seen (some of which was cited by Benson).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Key
1. Leaves of 2 types: laminate and filiform-dissected; w North America.
var. aquatilis
1. Leaves all filiform-dissected; widespread.
var. diffusus
Source FNA vol. 3. FNA vol. 3.
Parent taxa Ranunculaceae > Ranunculus > subg. Batrachium Ranunculaceae > Ranunculus > subg. Ranunculus > sect. Ranunculus
Sibling taxa
R. abortivus, R. acriformis, R. acris, R. adoneus, R. alismifolius, R. allegheniensis, R. allenii, R. ambigens, R. andersonii, 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. 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
Subordinate taxa
R. aquatilis var. aquatilis, R. aquatilis var. diffusus
Synonyms Batrachium aquatile
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 556. (1753) L. D. Benson: Amer. Midl. Naturalist 52: 341. (1954)
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