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bulbous buttercup, bulbous crowfoot, renoncule bulbeuse, St. Anthony's-turnip

Roots

never tuberous.

Stems

erect, never rooting nodally, strigose or hirsute, base bulbous and cormlike.

Basal leaf

blades ovate to cordate in outline, 3-foliolate, rarely merely deeply divided, 2–5.3 × 2.4–5.4 cm, leaflets 1–2x-lobed, ultimate segments oblong to obovate, margins toothed, apex rounded in outline.

Flowers

receptacle pubescent;

sepals reflexed 2–3 mm above base, 6–9 × 2–4 mm, pilose;

petals 5, yellow, 9–13 × 8–11 mm.

Heads of achenes

ovoid, 6–9 × 5–7 mm;

achenes 2.2–3.2 × 2.2–2.8 mm, glabrous, margin forming narrow rib 0.1–0.2 mm wide;

beak persistent, lanceolate to deltate, 0.2–0.8 mm, slender tip hooked when present.

Ranunculus bulbosus

Phenology Flowering spring (Apr–Jun).
Habitat Meadows
Elevation 0–700 m (0–2300 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; CA; CT; DC; DE; GA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MO; NC; NE; NH; NJ; NY; OH; OR; PA; RI; SC; TN; VA; VT; WA; WV; BC; NF; NS; ON; QC; South America; native to Eurasia; Pacific Islands; Australia [Introduced in North America]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Ranunculus bulbosus is native to Europe and the Near East but has become naturalized in many other parts of the world. It is considered an introduced weed in the flora.

The Iroquois used Ranunculus bulbosus as a toothache remede and as a a treatment for venereal disease (D. E. Moerman 1986).

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

Source FNA vol. 3.
Parent taxa 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. aquatilis, R. arizonicus, R. arvensis, R. auricomus, R. austro-oreganus, R. bonariensis, 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 R. bulbosus var. dissectus, R. bulbosus var. valdepubens
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 554. (1753)
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