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arctic buttercup, modest buttercup, wetslope buttercup

large buttercup, showy buttercup, smallflower buttercup

Roots

slender, 0.5-1 mm thick.

tuberous.

Stems

erect or decumbent from short caudices, 3-22 cm, glabrous, each with 1-5 flowers.

erect or decumbent, never rooting nodally, hispid, base not bulbous.

Basal leaves

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.

Basal leaf blades

ovate in outline, 3-5-foliolate, 3.8-10 × 2.7-9 cm, leaflets 1x-lobed, ultimate segments narrowly elliptic to oblanceolate, margins entire or with few teeth, apex broadly acute to rounded-obtuse.

Flowers

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.

receptacle hispid;

sepals spreading or weakly reflexed ca. 1 mm above base, 7-10 × 3-5 mm, hispid;

petals 10-22, yellow, 12-22 × 4-9 mm.

Heads of achenes

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.

globose to cylindric, 8-14 × 8-10 mm;

achenes 2.2-4.2 × 2.8-3.4 mm, glabrous, margin forming narrow rib 0.4-0.6 mm wide;

beak usually persistent, filiform from deltate base, straight, 2-4 mm.

2n

= 16.

= 32.

Ranunculus gelidus

Ranunculus macranthus

Phenology Flowering late spring–summer (Jun–Aug). Flowering late winter–spring (Mar–May).
Habitat Open arctic and alpine slopes Riverbanks and wet meadows
Elevation 0-4000 m (0-13100 ft) 0-400 m (0-1300 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AK; CO; ID; MT; OR; UT; WA; WY; AB; BC; NT; YT; Asia
[WildflowerSearch map]
from FNA
TX
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

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 Ranunculaceae > Ranunculus > subg. Ranunculus > sect. Epirotes 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. cooleyae, R. cymbalaria, R. eschscholtzii, R. fascicularis, R. fasciculatus, R. ficaria, R. flabellaris, R. flammula, 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. 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 R. gelidus subsp. grayi, R. grayi, R. verecundus R. fascicularis var. cuneiformis
Name authority Karelin & Kirilov: Bull. Soc. Imp. Naturalistes Moscou 15: 133. (1842) Scheele: Linnaea 21: 585. (1848)
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