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sagebrush buttercup, smooth buttercup

ficaire, fig buttercup, lesser celandine, pilewort, renoncule ficaire

Roots

cylindric, 1-3 mm thick.

Stems

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

erect to decumbent, not rooting nodally, glabrous, not bulbous-based, spheric or ellipsoid bulbils sometimes formed in leaf axils.

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.

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.

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.

receptacle glabrous;

sepals spreading, saccate at extreme base, 4-9 × 3-6 mm, glabrous;

petals yellow, 10-15 × 3-7 mm.

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.

hemispheric, 4-5 × 6-8 mm;

achenes 2.6-2.8 × 1.8-2 mm, pubescent;

beak absent.

Tuberous

roots present.

Ranunculus glaberrimus

Ranunculus ficaria

Phenology Flowering spring (Apr–May).
Habitat Shaded stream banks and moist disturbed areas
Elevation 0-300 m (0-1000 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; 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]
[WildflowerSearch 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.)

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.)

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. Ficaria
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. 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. 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
Synonyms R. ficaria subsp. bulbifer, R. ficaria subsp. calthifolius, R. ficaria var. bulbifera
Name authority Hooker: Fl. Bor.-Amer. 1: 12. (1829) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 550. (1753)
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