Ranunculus ficaria |
Ranunculus gelidus |
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ficaire, fig buttercup, lesser celandine, pilewort, renoncule ficaire |
arctic buttercup, modest buttercup, wetslope buttercup |
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Roots | slender, 0.5-1 mm thick. |
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Stems | erect to decumbent, not rooting nodally, glabrous, not bulbous-based, spheric or ellipsoid bulbils sometimes formed in leaf axils. |
erect or decumbent from short caudices, 3-22 cm, glabrous, each with 1-5 flowers. |
Basal leaves | simple and undivided, blades cordate to deltate or semicircular, 1.8-3.7 × 2-4 cm, base cordate, margins entire or crenate, apex rounded or obtuse. |
persistent, blades cordate or reniform, 3-parted, 0.5-1.8 × 0.8-3 cm, segments again lobed, base truncate or nearly cordate, apices of segments rounded. |
Flowers | receptacle glabrous; sepals spreading, saccate at extreme base, 4-9 × 3-6 mm, glabrous; petals yellow, 10-15 × 3-7 mm. |
pedicels pubescent or glabrous; receptacle glabrous or pubescent; sepals 3-5 × 1-4 mm, pubescent or glabrous; petals 5, 3-6 × 1-5 mm; nectary scale glabrous. |
Heads of achenes | hemispheric, 4-5 × 6-8 mm; achenes 2.6-2.8 × 1.8-2 mm, pubescent; beak absent. |
cylindric to ovoid-cylindric, 4-13 × 4-6 mm; achenes 1.2-2.4 × 0.8-2 mm, glabrous; beak subulate, curved or hooked, 0.4-0.8 mm. |
Tuberous | roots present. |
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2n | = 16. |
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Ranunculus ficaria |
Ranunculus gelidus |
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Phenology | Flowering spring (Apr–May). | Flowering late spring–summer (Jun–Aug). |
Habitat | Shaded stream banks and moist disturbed areas | Open arctic and alpine slopes |
Elevation | 0-300 m (0-1000 ft) | 0-4000 m (0-13100 ft) |
Distribution |
CT; DC; IL; KY; MA; MD; MI; MO; NJ; NY; OH; OR; PA; RI; TN; VA; WA; WV; BC; NF; ON; QC; native to Europe [Introduced in North America]
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AK; CO; ID; MT; OR; UT; WA; WY; AB; BC; NT; YT; Asia
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Discussion | In North America, Ranunculus ficaria seems to be expanding its range rapidly in areas with cool mesic climates. The species is extremely variable (especially in leaf size and stem posture), and many attempts have been made to divide it into varieties or subspecies (see P. D. Sell 1994). The different forms, however, intergrade extensively and the varieties are often impossible to distinguish. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Plants with small achenes are often separated as Ranunculus verecundus. Achene size varies continuously over the range given, however, and it is not correlated with the minor shape difference mentioned by L. D. Benson (1948). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 3. | FNA vol. 3. |
Parent taxa | ||
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | R. ficaria subsp. bulbifer, R. ficaria subsp. calthifolius, R. ficaria var. bulbifera | R. gelidus subsp. grayi, R. grayi, R. verecundus |
Name authority | Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 550. (1753) | Karelin & Kirilov: Bull. Soc. Imp. Naturalistes Moscou 15: 133. (1842) |
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