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Cooley's buttercup

Eschscholtz's buttercup, snow buttercup, subalpine buttercup

Roots

slender, 0.4-1.6 mm thick.

Stems

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

erect or decumbent from short or long caudices, 4-27 cm, glabrous, each with 1-3 flowers.

Basal leaves

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.

persistent, blades reniform or cordate to obovate or broadly oblong, lobed or 3-parted, 0.5-4.1 × 0.8-3.7 cm, segments again 1(-2)×-lobed, base obtuse to cordate, apices of segments rounded in outline.

Flowers

receptacle glabrous;

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

petals 11-15, yellow, 8-12 × 3-5 mm.

pedicels glabrous;

receptacle glabrous or sparsely pilose;

sepals 4-8 × 2-6 mm, abaxially glabrous or pilose;

petals 5-8, 6-16 × 4-16 mm;

nectary scale glabrous.

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.

cylindric or ovoid, 5-10 × 4-7 mm;

achenes 1.4-2 × 1-1.6 mm, glabrous or sparsely pubescent;

beak lanceolate or subulate, straight (sometimes curved when immature), 0.6-1.8 mm.

Tuberous

roots absent.

2n

= 16.

Ranunculus cooleyae

Ranunculus eschscholtzii

Phenology Flowering late spring–summer (Jun–Aug).
Habitat Slopes near persistent snowbanks
Elevation 500-1800 m (1600-5900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AK; WA; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
from FNA
AK; AZ; CA; CO; ID; MT; NM; NV; OR; UT; WA; WY; AB; BC; NT; YT
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 6 (5 in the flora).

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

Key
1. Ultimate segments and sinuses of basal leaves acute or acuminate.
→ 2
1. Ultimate segments and sinuses of basal leaves rounded or obtuse (sometimes broadly rounded-acute).
→ 3
2. Leaf blade reniform, base truncate or cordate.
var. suksdorfii
2. Leaf blade obovate to broadly oblong, base obtuse or rounded.
var. eximius
3. Middle segments of many basal leaves lobed and toothed or 2×-lobed.
var. trisectus
3. Middle segments of basal leaves unlobed or 1×-lobed.
→ 4
4. Caudices with few or no persistent leaf bases; basal leaves always 3-parted; widespread in w North America.
var. eschscholtzii
4. Caudices densely clothed with persistent leaf bases; basal leaves sometimes parted but usually merely lobed; California and w Nevada.
var. oxynotus
Source FNA vol. 3. FNA vol. 3.
Parent taxa Ranunculaceae > Ranunculus > subg. Cyrtorhyncha > sect. Arcteranthis Ranunculaceae > Ranunculus > subg. Ranunculus > sect. Epirotes
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. bulbosus, R. californicus, R. canus, R. cardiophyllus, R. cooleyae, R. cymbalaria, 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
Subordinate taxa
R. eschscholtzii var. eschscholtzii, R. eschscholtzii var. eximius, R. eschscholtzii var. oxynotus, R. eschscholtzii var. suksdorfii, R. eschscholtzii var. trisectus
Synonyms Arcteranthis cooleyae, Kumlienia cooleyae
Name authority Vasey & Rose ex Rose: Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 1: 289. (1894) Schlechtendal: Animadv. Bot. Ranunc. Cand. 2: 16. (1820)
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