The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

sagebrush buttercup, smooth buttercup

Allegheny crowfoot, Allegheny Mountain buttercup

Roots

cylindric, 1-3 mm thick.

slender, 0.2-0.8 mm thick.

Stems

prostrate or ascending, 4-15 cm, glabrous, each with 1-4 flowers.

erect or nearly erect, 10-50 cm, glabrous, each with 9-40 flowers.

Basal leaves

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 reniform, outer undivided, inner 3-lobed to 3-foliolate, 1-3.5 × 1.5-4.5 cm, base truncate or cordate, margins crenate, apex rounded or obtuse.

Flowers

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 pubescent or glabrous;

receptacle sparsely pilose;

sepals 2-3 × 1-2 mm, abaxially sparsely hispid, hairs colorless;

petals 5, 1-2 × 0.5-1 mm;

nectary scale glabrous.

Heads of achenes

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.

globose to ovoid, 3-7 × 3-5 mm;

achenes 1.5-2 × 1.4-1.8 mm, glabrous;

beak slender, strongly curved, 0.6-1 mm.

2n

= 16.

Ranunculus glaberrimus

Ranunculus allegheniensis

Phenology Flowering spring–summer (Apr–Jul).
Habitat Woods and pastures
Elevation 0-1100 m (0-3600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CA; CO; ID; MT; ND; NE; NM; NV; OR; SD; UT; WA; WY; AB; BC; SK
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CT; KY; MA; MD; NC; NY; OH; PA; RI; TN; VA; VT; WV
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

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.)

Key
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
Source FNA vol. 3. FNA vol. 3.
Parent taxa Ranunculaceae > Ranunculus > subg. Ranunculus > sect. Epirotes Ranunculaceae > Ranunculus > subg. Ranunculus > sect. Epirotes
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. gelidus, 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. 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. 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
Subordinate taxa
R. glaberrimus var. ellipticus, R. glaberrimus var. glaberrimus
Name authority Hooker: Fl. Bor.-Amer. 1: 12. (1829) Britton: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 22: 224. (1895)
Web links