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Ranunculus austro-oreganus

southern Oregon buttercup

Anderson's buttercup, pink buttercup

Roots

never tuberous.

Stems

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

erect from short caudices, not rooting nodally, glabrous, not bulbous-based.

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.

cordate in outline, ternately 1-2x-compound, 1.5-3.8 × 2.1-3.8 cm, leaflets 2-3x-parted, ultimate segments elliptic to linear, margins entire or with occasional teeth, apex obtuse to acuminate.

Flowers

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.

receptacle hispid;

sepals spreading, 9-15 × 5-9 mm, glabrous;

petals pinkish white, 12-18 × 9-13 mm.

Heads

of achenes 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.

Tuberous

roots absent.

Fruiting

heads globose or depressed-globose, 13-27 × 21-29 mm;

fruit wall veined, inflated, not winged, fruits thus utricles;

utricles 6-12 × 4-6 mm, glabrous;

beak persistent, deltate or subulate from deltate base, 0.2-0.6 mm.

Ranunculus austro-oreganus

Ranunculus andersonii

Phenology Flowering spring (May). Flowering spring (Apr–May).
Habitat Grassy hillsides Slopes in sagebrush or pinyon-juniper woodland
Elevation 500 m [1600 ft] 900-2300 m [3000-7500 ft]
Distribution
from FNA
OR
[WildflowerSearch map]
from FNA
AZ; CA; ID; NV; OR; UT
[WildflowerSearch map]
Discussion

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.)

Parent taxa Ranunculaceae > Ranunculus > subg. Ranunculus > sect. Ranunculus Ranunculaceae > Ranunculus > subg. Crymodes
Sibling taxa
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
R. abortivus, R. acriformis, R. acris, R. adoneus, R. alismifolius, R. allegheniensis, R. allenii, R. ambigens, 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
Synonyms Beckwithia andersonii, R. andersonii var. juniperinus, R. andersonii var. tenellus, R. juniperinus
Name authority L. D. Benson: Amer. Midl. Naturalist 52: 341. (1954) A. Gray: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 7: 327. (1867)
Source FNA vol. 3. Treatment author: Alan T. Whittemore. FNA vol. 3. Treatment author: Alan T. Whittemore.
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