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

threelobe buttercup

Stems

glabrous.

erect or reclining, hispid or sometimes glabrous.

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.

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.

pedicellate;

receptacle hispid;

sepals 5, reflexed, 3-4 × 2 mm, sparsely hispid;

petals 5, 4-5 × 2-3 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.

ovoid, 8-9 × 6-7 mm;

achenes 30-60 per head, 2 × 2 mm, faces densely tuberculate, glabrous, margin smooth;

beak semicircular, hooked, 0.3 mm.

Basal

and lower cauline leaf blades cordate-ovate, 3-foliolate, 5-8 × 3-6(-7) cm, leaflets again cleft or parted, leaflet base obtuse to acute, margins dentate, apex rounded to acute.

Ranunculus aquatilis

Ranunculus trilobus

Phenology Flowering spring (Apr).
Habitat Fields and roadsides
Elevation 0-100 m (0-300 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
AL; FL; LA; SC; TX; native to Europe [Introduced in North America]
[BONAP county map]
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.)

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. Echinella
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. 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. 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) Desfontaines: Fl. Atlant. 1: 437. (1799)
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