Ranunculus hispidus
Ranunculus adoneus
bristly buttercup, hispid crowfoot, renoncule hispide
alpine buttercup
never tuberous.
slender, 0.8-1.4 mm thick.
erect or decumbent, sometimes rooting nodally, hispid or strigose, base not bulbous.
erect from large caudices, 9-25 cm, glabrous, each with 1-3 flowers.
blades ovate to deltate in outline, 3-foliolate or outer blades merely 3-parted, 2-13.4 × 2.4-16.8 cm, leaflets undivided to lobed or parted, ultimate segments narrowly elliptic or oblanceolate to circular, margins toothed, apex acuminate to rounded.
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.
receptacle hispid;
sepals spreading or reflexed, 4-10 × 2-5 mm, hispid;
petals 5, yellow, 8-16 × 3-9 mm.
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.
hemispheric to short-ovoid, 6-10 × 7-10 mm;
achenes 2.2-5.2 × 2-3.8 mm, glabrous, margin forming narrow rib or broad wing 0.1-1.2 mm wide;
beak persistent, lance-subulate, straight or somewhat curved, 0.8-2.6 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 hispidus
Ranunculus adoneus
Varieties 3
Until recently, the varieties of Ranunculus hispidus were usually treated as distinct species. Arguments for restoring species status to R. hispidus var. nitidus were given by G. L. Nesom (1993).
(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. Stems erect or nearly erect, never rooting at nodes. | var. hispidus |
1. Stems decumbent, sometimes rooting at nodes. | → 2 |
2. Sepals spreading or reflexed from base; achene margins 0.1–0.2 mm broad. | var. caricetorum |
2. Sepals reflexed 1 mm above base; achene margins 0.4–1.2 mm broad. | var. nitidus |
Go Botany
IL Wildflowers
KS Wildflowers
LA Plants
MD Biodiversity
MI Flora
MN Wildflowers
MO Plants
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
CalFlora
PNW Herbaria
