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Cooley's buttercup

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

Roots

never tuberous.

Stems

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

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

Basal leaf

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.

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 glabrous;

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

petals 11-15, yellow, 8-12 × 3-5 mm.

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

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.

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.

Tuberous

roots absent.

2n

= 16.

Ranunculus cooleyae

Ranunculus bulbosus

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