Ranunculus gelidus |
Ranunculus testiculatus |
|
---|---|---|
arctic buttercup, modest buttercup, wetslope buttercup |
bur buttercup, hornseed buttercup, tubercled crowfoot |
|
Roots | slender, 0.5-1 mm thick. |
|
Stems | erect or decumbent from short caudices, 3-22 cm, glabrous, each with 1-5 flowers. |
erect or ascending, not rooting nodally, villous, not bulbous-based. |
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 | broadly spatulate in outline, 1-2x-dissected, 0.9-3.8 × 0.5-1.5 cm, segments linear, margins entire, apex obtuse to acuminate. |
|
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 glabrous; sepals spreading, 3-6 × 1-2 mm, villous; petals yellow, 3-5 × 1-3 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. |
cylindric, 9-16(-27) × 8-10 mm; achenes 1.6-2 × 1.8-2 mm, tomentose; beak persistent, lanceolate, 3.5-4.5 mm. |
Tuberous | roots absent. |
|
2n | = 16. |
|
Ranunculus gelidus |
Ranunculus testiculatus |
|
Phenology | Flowering late spring–summer (Jun–Aug). | Flowering spring (Apr–May). |
Habitat | Open arctic and alpine slopes | Disturbed areas, especially in grassland |
Elevation | 0-4000 m (0-13100 ft) | 400-2500 m (1300-8200 ft) |
Distribution |
AK; CO; ID; MT; OR; UT; WA; WY; AB; BC; NT; YT; Asia
|
AZ; CA; CO; IA; ID; KS; MN; MO; MT; ND; NE; NM; NV; OH; OR; SD; UT; WA; WY; BC; SK; native to Eurasia [Introduced in North America]
|
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.) |
In North America, Ranunculus testiculatus seems to be expanding its range rapidly in arid and semiarid areas. A second species of this subgenus, R. falcatus Linnaeus [Ceratocephala falcata (Linnaeus) Persoon], has been reported from North America, but all reports seem to be based on misidentified material of R. testiculatus. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 3. | FNA vol. 3. |
Parent taxa | ||
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | R. gelidus subsp. grayi, R. grayi, R. verecundus | Ceratocephalus orthoceras, Ceratocephalus testiculatus |
Name authority | Karelin & Kirilov: Bull. Soc. Imp. Naturalistes Moscou 15: 133. (1842) | Crantz: Stirp. Austr. Fasc. 2: 97. (1763) |
Web links |