Ranunculus glaberrimus
Ranunculus turneri
sagebrush buttercup, smooth buttercup
turner's buttercup
cylindric, 1-3 mm thick.
never tuberous.
prostrate or ascending, 4-15 cm, glabrous, each with 1-4 flowers.
erect, never rooting nodally, hirsute, base not bulbous.
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.
cordate to reniform in outline, 3-parted, 1.3-3 × 1.8-3.8 cm, segments cleft, ultimate segments elliptic to lanceolate, margins toothed, apex 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.
receptacle glabrous;
sepals spreading, 7-9 × 2-4 mm, hirsute;
petals 5, yellow, 10-15 × 8-11 mm.
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.
nearly globose, 7-10 mm wide;
achenes 2.4 × 2.6-2.7 mm, glabrous, margin forming narrow rib 0.1-0.2 mm wide;
beak persistent, lanceolate, strongly hooked or curved, 1.6-2 mm.
Ranunculus glaberrimus
Ranunculus turneri
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.)
Of conservation concern.
Ranunculus turneri was considered an arctic race of R. acris by E. Hultén (1971). It occurs from the Mackenzie Delta to northeastern Alaska.
(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
