Ranunculus cymbalaria |
Ranunculus abortivus |
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alkali buttercup, renoncule cymbalaire, seaside buttercup, seaside crowfoot, shore buttercup |
kidney-leaf buttercup, kidney-leaf crowfoot, little-leaf buttercup, small-flower buttercup, small-flower crowfoot |
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Roots | filiform, sometimes enlarged basally, 0.5-1.5 mm thick. |
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Stems | dimorphic, flowering stems erect or ascending, stolons prostrate, rooting nodally, glabrous or sparsely hirsute, not bulbous-based. |
erect or nearly erect, 10-60 cm, glabrous, each with 3-50 flowers. |
Basal leaves | simple and undivided, blades oblong to cordate or circular, 0.7-3.8 × 0.8-3.2 cm, base rounded to cordate, margins crenate or crenate-serrate, apex rounded. |
persistent, blades reniform or orbiculate, undivided or sometimes innermost 3-parted or -foliate, 1.4-4.2 × 2-5.2 cm, base shallowly to deeply cordate, margins crenulate to crenate-lobulate, apex rounded to rounded-obtuse. |
Flowers | receptacle hispid or glabrous; sepals spreading, 2.5-6 × 1.5-3 mm, glabrous; petals 5, yellow, 2-7 × 1-3 mm. |
pedicels glabrous or nearly so; receptacle sparsely to very sparsely pilose; sepals 2.5-4 × 1-2 mm, abaxially glabrous; petals 5, 1.5-3.5 × 1-2 mm; nectary scale glabrous. |
Heads of achenes | long-ovoid or cylindric, 6-12 × 4-5(-9) mm; achenes 1-1.4(-2.2) × 0.8-1.2 mm, glabrous; beak persistent, conic, straight, 0.1-0.2 mm. |
ovoid, 3-6 × 2.5-5 mm; achenes 1.4-1.6 × 1-1.5 mm, glabrous; beak subulate, curved, 0.1-0.2 mm. |
Tuberous | roots absent. |
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2n | = 16. |
= 16. |
Ranunculus cymbalaria |
Ranunculus abortivus |
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Phenology | Flowering late spring–summer (May–Sep). | Flowering late winter–summer (Mar–Jul). |
Habitat | Woods, meadows, fallow fields, and clearings | |
Elevation | 0-3100 m (0-10200 ft) | |
Distribution |
Bogs; marshes; ditches; stream banks; often saline
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AK; AL; AR; CO; CT; DC; DE; FL; GA; IA; ID; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MS; MT; NC; ND; NE; NH; NJ; NM; NY; OH; OK; PA; RI; SC; SD; TN; TX; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; WY; AB; BC; MB; NB; NF; NS; NT; ON; PE; QC; SK; YT; SPM
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Discussion | Various Navaho groups used Ranunculus cymbalaria as a venereal aid, an emetic, and a ceremonial medicine. The Kawaiisu used it as a dermatological aid (D. E. Moerman 1986). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Three varieties of Ranunculus abortivus are sometimes recognized. Plants from New England and the northern Appalachians often have thick stems and orbiculate leaves with narrow, deep basal sinuses; this form has been called R. abortivus var. eucyclus. Plants from southeastern Virginia may have the upper bracts merely lobed rather than deeply divided as is usual in R. sect. Epirotes; those have been called R. arbortivus var. indivisus. Native American tribes have used Ranunculus abortivus medicinally for a variety of purposes (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. Halodes | Ranunculaceae > Ranunculus > subg. Ranunculus > sect. Epirotes |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Halerpestes cymbalaria, R. cymbalaria var. alpinus, R. cymbalaria var. saximontanus | R. abortivus subsp. acrolasius, R. abortivus var. acrolasius, R. abortivus var. eucyclus, R. abortivus var. indivisus |
Name authority | Pursh: Fl. Amer. Sept. 2: 392. (1814) | Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 551. (1753) |
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