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Cooley's buttercup

creeping buttercup, crowfoot, double flower creeping buttercup, renoncule rampante, spot-leaf crowfoot

Roots

never tuberous.

Stems

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

decumbent or creeping, rooting nodally, hispid to strigose or almost glabrous, base not bulbous.

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 reniform in outline, 3-foliolate, 1-8.5 × 1.5-10 cm, leaflets lobed, parted, or parted and again lobed, ultimate segments obovate to elliptic or sometimes narrowly oblong, margins toothed, apex obtuse to acuminate.

Flowers

receptacle glabrous;

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

petals 11-15, yellow, 8-12 × 3-5 mm.

receptacle hispid or rarely glabrous;

sepals spreading or reflexed from base, 4-7(-10) × 1.5-3(-4) mm, hispid or sometimes glabrous;

petals 5(-150), yellow, 6-18 × 5-12 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.

globose or ovoid, 5-10 × 5-8 mm;

achenes 2.6-3.2 × 2-2.8 mm, glabrous, margin forming narrow rib 0.1-0.2 mm wide;

beak persistent, lanceolate to lance-filiform, curved, 0.8-1.2 mm.

Tuberous

roots absent.

2n

= 16.

= 14, 32.

Ranunculus cooleyae

Ranunculus repens

Phenology Flowering late spring–summer (Jun–Aug). Flowering late winter–summer (Mar–Aug).
Habitat Slopes near persistent snowbanks Meadows, borders of marshes, lawns, roadsides
Elevation 500-1800 m (1600-5900 ft) 0-2500 m (0-8200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AK; WA; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
from FNA
AK; AL; AR; CA; CT; DC; DE; IA; ID; IL; IN; KY; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MT; NC; NE; NH; NJ; NV; NY; OH; OR; PA; RI; SC; SD; TN; TX; UT; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; WY; AB; BC; NB; NF; NS; ON; PE; QC; YT; SPM; Central America; South America; Pacific Islands; Greenland; native to Eurasia; Australia [Introduced in North America]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Ranunculus repens is widely naturalized in many parts of the world. Plants with sparse pubescence have been called R. repens var. glabratus. Horticultural forms with the outer stamens transformed into numerous extra petals occasionally become established and have been called R. repens var. pleniflorus. These variants have no taxonomic significance.

(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. bulbosus, 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. 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. repens var. erectus, R. repens var. glabratus, R. repens var. linearilobus, R. repens var. pleniflorus, R. repens var. villosus
Name authority Vasey & Rose ex Rose: Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 1: 289. (1894) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 554. (1753)
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