Ranunculus glaberrimus
Ranunculus adoneus
sagebrush buttercup, smooth buttercup
alpine buttercup
cylindric, 1-3 mm thick.
slender, 0.8-1.4 mm thick.
prostrate or ascending, 4-15 cm, glabrous, each with 1-4 flowers.
erect from large caudices, 9-25 cm, glabrous, each with 1-3 flowers.
persistent, blades reniform or obovate to very narrowly elliptic, 0.7-5.2 × 1-2 cm, base truncate, obtuse or attenuate, margins entire or with 3 broad, apical crenae, apex rounded to acute.
persistent, blades circular to reniform in outline, 2-3x-dissected into linear segments, 0.9-2.5 × 1.1-2.8 cm, base obtuse, margins entire, apices of segments narrowly rounded to acute.
pedicels glabrous or nearly so;
receptacle glabrous;
sepals 5-8 × 3-7 mm, abaxially glabrous or sparsely pilose, hairs colorless;
petals 5-10, 8-13 × 5-12 mm;
nectary scale glabrous or ciliate.
pedicels glabrous;
receptacle glabrous;
sepals 4-11 × 3-7 mm, abaxially sparsely pilose, hairs colorless;
petals 5-10, 8-15 × 8-19 mm;
nectary scale glabrous.
globose, 7-12(-20) × 6-11(-20) mm;
achenes 1.4-2.2 × 1.1-1.8 mm, usually finely pubescent;
beak subulate or lance-subulate, straight or curved, 0.4-1 mm.
ovoid, 6-12 × 5-9 mm;
achenes 1.8-2.4 × 1-1.4 mm, glabrous or nearly so;
beak subulate, straight, 1.2-1.7 mm.
n = 16.
Ranunculus glaberrimus
Ranunculus adoneus
Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).
Usually only a minority of the ovaries develop, and the fruiting receptacle is completely hidden by aborted ovaries. Populations growing at high elevations (Ranunculus glaberrimus var. ellipticus) and low elevations (var. glaberrimus) are usually well differentiated, but these varieties intergrade at intermediate elevations.
The Thompson Indians rubbed the flowers or the whole plant of Ranunculus glaberrimus on arrow points as a poison (D. E. Moerman 1986).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Most collections of Ranunculus adoneus from Colorado, including the type specimen, tend to be small, with narrow leaf segments (only 0.5-1 mm wide) and large flowers. The more widespread form, with leaf segments 1-2 mm wide and more variable flowers, has been called R. adoneus var. alpinus. The leaf and flower characteristics are very poorly correlated, however, and specimens referable to var. alpinus vary greatly in stature and flower size, so the two forms scarcely merit formal recognition.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Basal leaf blades ovate to obovate, usually shallowly lobed; bracts 3-lobed, lobes equal in size; 400–2000 m. | var. glaberrimus |
1. Basal leaf blades elliptic to oblanceolate, usually undivided; bracts 3-lobed, middle lobe much larger; 1200–3600 m. | var. ellipticus |
- Local floras:
BC, 
CA, 
OR, 
WA - Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos,
Flora NW, 
PNW Herbaria, Turner Photog. 
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist (observations)
USDA Plants Database- LBJ Wildflower Center
- SEINet
- Plants of the World Online
- Encyclopedia of Life
- Wikipedia
- Google Image Search
