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

Cooley's buttercup

Roots

never tuberous.

Stems

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

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

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.

blades circular to reniform in outline, 3-5-parted, 0.8-3.8 × 1.7-6.9 cm, segments again lobed, ultimate segments elliptic or oblong, margins crenate, apex rounded;

cauline leaf 0-1, scalelike.

Flowers

receptacle pubescent;

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

petals 5, yellow, 9–13 × 8–11 mm.

receptacle glabrous;

sepals spreading, yellow, 7-11 × 4-7 mm, glabrous;

petals 11-15, yellow, 8-12 × 3-5 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.

hemispheric or spheric, 7-8 × 9-10 mm;

achenes 2.4-4.6 × 1.2-2.2 mm, glabrous;

beak persistent, filiform, hooked distally, 1-1.8 mm.

Tuberous

roots absent.

2n

= 16.

Ranunculus bulbosus

Ranunculus cooleyae

Phenology Flowering spring (Apr–Jun). Flowering late spring–summer (Jun–Aug).
Habitat Meadows Slopes near persistent snowbanks
Elevation 0–700 m (0–2300 ft) 500-1800 m (1600-5900 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]
from FNA
AK; WA; BC
[WildflowerSearch 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. FNA vol. 3.
Parent taxa Ranunculaceae > Ranunculus > subg. Ranunculus > sect. Ranunculus Ranunculaceae > Ranunculus > subg. Cyrtorhyncha > sect. Arcteranthis
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
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. 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 Arcteranthis cooleyae, Kumlienia cooleyae
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 554. (1753) Vasey & Rose ex Rose: Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 1: 289. (1894)
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