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Carter's buttercup

dwarf buttercup, pygmy buttercup

Roots

slender, 0.1-0.6 mm thick.

Stems

erect or ascending from short caudices, 0.6-3.5 cm (sometimes longer in fruit), each with 1-2 flowers.

Basal leaves

persistent, blades reniform to transversely elliptic or semicircular, 3-parted or -divided, 0.45-0.9 × 0.6-1.3 cm, at least lateral segments again lobed, base truncate or nearly cordate, margins entire, apex rounded to obtuse.

Flowers

pedicels glabrous or pubescent;

receptacle glabrous;

sepals 2-4 × 1.2-1.6 mm, abaxially sparsely hairy, hairs colorless;

petals 5, 1.2-3.5 × 1.1-2.8 mm;

nectary scale glabrous.

Heads of achenes

nearly globose to cylindric, 2.5-7 × 2.5-5 mm;

achenes 1-1.2 × 0.8-1.1 mm, glabrous;

beak subulate, straight or curved, 0.3-0.7 mm.

2n

= 16.

Ranunculus bonariensis

Ranunculus pygmaeus

Phenology Flowering summer (Jul–Sep).
Habitat Arctic and alpine meadows and slopes, usually around persistent snow patches
Elevation 0-4000 m (0-13100 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; temperate South America
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[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; CO; ID; MT; UT; WY; AB; BC; NF; NT; QC; YT; Greenland; Europe (Spitsbergen)
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Discussion

Varieties 3 (1 in the flora).

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

Ranunculus pygmaeus var. langeana has been described as having deeply divided basal leaves and strongly elongate heads of achenes (at least 5 mm). These characteristics are not well correlated with one another, however, and the variety does not seem natural.

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

Source FNA vol. 3. FNA vol. 3.
Parent taxa Ranunculaceae > Ranunculus > subg. Ranunculus > sect. Flammula Ranunculaceae > Ranunculus > subg. Ranunculus > sect. Epirotes
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. austro-oreganus, 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. 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. bonariensis var. trisepalus
Synonyms R. pygmaeus var. langeana
Name authority Poiret: in J. Lamarck et al., Encycl. 6: 102. (1804) Wahlenberg: Fl. Lapp., 157. (1812)
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