Ranunculus bulbosus |
Ranunculus adoneus |
|
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bulbous buttercup, bulbous crowfoot, renoncule bulbeuse, St. Anthony's-turnip |
alpine buttercup |
|
Roots | never tuberous. |
slender, 0.8-1.4 mm thick. |
Stems | erect, never rooting nodally, strigose or hirsute, base bulbous and cormlike. |
erect from large caudices, 9-25 cm, glabrous, each with 1-3 flowers. |
Basal leaves | 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. |
persistent, blades circular to reniform in outline, 2-3x-dissected into linear segments, 0.9-2.5 × 1.1-2.8 cm, base obtuse, margins entire, apices of segments narrowly rounded to acute. |
Flowers | receptacle pubescent; sepals reflexed 2–3 mm above base, 6–9 × 2–4 mm, pilose; petals 5, yellow, 9–13 × 8–11 mm. |
pedicels glabrous; receptacle glabrous; sepals 4-11 × 3-7 mm, abaxially sparsely pilose, hairs colorless; petals 5-10, 8-15 × 8-19 mm; nectary scale glabrous. |
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. |
ovoid, 6-12 × 5-9 mm; achenes 1.8-2.4 × 1-1.4 mm, glabrous or nearly so; beak subulate, straight, 1.2-1.7 mm. |
2 | n = 16. |
|
Ranunculus bulbosus |
Ranunculus adoneus |
|
Phenology | Flowering spring (Apr–Jun). | |
Habitat | Meadows | Spring-summer (May–Sep). Alpine and subalpine meadows, usually around melting snowbanks |
Elevation | 0–700 m (0–2300 ft) | 2500-4000 m (8200-13100 ft) |
Distribution |
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]
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CO; ID; MT; NV; UT; WY
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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.) |
Most collections of Ranunculus adoneus from Colorado, including the type specimen, tend to be small, with narrow leaf segments (only 0.5-1 mm wide) and large flowers. The more widespread form, with leaf segments 1-2 mm wide and more variable flowers, has been called R. adoneus var. alpinus. The leaf and flower characteristics are very poorly correlated, however, and specimens referable to var. alpinus vary greatly in stature and flower size, so the two forms scarcely merit formal recognition. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 3. | FNA vol. 3. |
Parent taxa | Ranunculaceae > Ranunculus > subg. Ranunculus > sect. Ranunculus | Ranunculaceae > Ranunculus > subg. Ranunculus > sect. Epirotes |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | R. bulbosus var. dissectus, R. bulbosus var. valdepubens | R. adoneus var. alpinus, R. eschscholtzii var. adoneus, R. eschscholtzii var. alpinus |
Name authority | Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 554. (1753) | A. Gray: Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 15: 56. (1863) |
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