Ranunculus bulbosus |
Ranunculus pygmaeus |
|
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bulbous buttercup, bulbous crowfoot, renoncule bulbeuse, St. Anthony's-turnip |
dwarf buttercup, pygmy buttercup |
|
Roots | never tuberous. |
slender, 0.1-0.6 mm thick. |
Stems | erect, never rooting nodally, strigose or hirsute, base bulbous and cormlike. |
erect or ascending from short caudices, 0.6-3.5 cm (sometimes longer in fruit), each with 1-2 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 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 | 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 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 | 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. |
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. |
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Ranunculus bulbosus |
Ranunculus pygmaeus |
|
Phenology | Flowering spring (Apr–Jun). | Flowering summer (Jul–Sep). |
Habitat | Meadows | Arctic and alpine meadows and slopes, usually around persistent snow patches |
Elevation | 0–700 m (0–2300 ft) | 0-4000 m (0-13100 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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AK; CO; ID; MT; UT; WY; AB; BC; NF; NT; QC; YT; Greenland; Europe (Spitsbergen)
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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.) |
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. Ranunculus | Ranunculaceae > Ranunculus > subg. Ranunculus > sect. Epirotes |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | R. bulbosus var. dissectus, R. bulbosus var. valdepubens | R. pygmaeus var. langeana |
Name authority | Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 554. (1753) | Wahlenberg: Fl. Lapp., 157. (1812) |
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