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common water plantain buttercup, kidney-leaf buttercup, plantain-leaf buttercup, water-plantain buttercup

Roots

slender or fusiform-thickened basally, glabrous.

Stems

erect from short caudices or rhizomes, not rooting nodally, glabrous, not bulbous-based.

erect or ascending, not rooting nodally, glabrous or hirsute.

Leaves

basal leaf blades with base acute;

proximal cauline leaf blades lanceolate, ovate, or elliptic, 1.8-14.1 × 0.7-2.9 cm, base acuminate to rounded, margins entire or serrulate, apex obtuse to acuminate.

Basal leaf blades

circular to ovate or obovate, undivided, 0.8-2.6 × 0.6-1.4 cm, margins entire or serrulate, apex obtuse or rounded.

Inflorescences

bracts lanceolate.

Flowers

receptacle glabrous;

sepals spreading, 4-8 × 2-4 mm, glabrous;

petals yellow, 5-12 × 1-3 mm.

receptacle glabrous;

sepals 5, spreading or reflexed from base, 2-6 × 1-4 mm, glabrous or hirsute;

petals 5-12, 5-14 × 2-8 mm;

nectary scales glabrous.

Heads of achenes

depressed-hemispheric or -conic, 3-4 × 5 mm;

achenes 2-2.6 × 1-1.4 mm, glabrous;

beak persistent, lanceolate, straight, 0.8-1.2 mm.

hemispheric to globose, 3-7 × 4-8 mm;

achenes 1.6-2.8 × 1.2-2 mm, glabrous or rarely hispid;

beak lance-subulate, straight or weakly curved, 0.4-1.2 mm.

Tuberous

roots absent.

2n

= 16.

Ranunculus kamtschaticus

Ranunculus alismifolius

Phenology Flowering late spring–summer (May–Aug).
Habitat Tundra on moist slopes
Elevation 0-300 m (0-1000 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AK; Asia
from FNA
CA; CO; ID; MT; NV; OR; UT; WA; WY; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 6 (6 in the flora).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Key
1. Petals 7–12 on most flowers, 2–3 mm broad.
var. montanus
1. Petals 4–6(–8), 2–8 mm broad.
→ 2
2. Stems 3.5–8 mm thick; leaf margins serrulate.
var. alismifolius
2. Stems 1–3 mm thick; leaf margins entire.
→ 3
3. Leaf blades ovate or elliptic.
var. alismellus
3. Leaf blades broadly to narrowly lanceolate.
→ 4
4. Petals 10–14 mm; California and Nevada.
var. lemmonii
4. Petals 5–8 mm; widespread.
→ 5
5. Roots fusiform-thickened proximally; stems and petioles glabrous or pubescent.
var. davisii
5. Roots not or scarcely fusiform-thickened proximally; stems and petioles glabrous.
var. hartwegii
Source FNA vol. 3. FNA vol. 3.
Parent taxa Ranunculaceae > Ranunculus > subg. Oxygraphis Ranunculaceae > Ranunculus > subg. Ranunculus > sect. Flammula
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. 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. 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. 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. 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. alismifolius var. alismellus, R. alismifolius var. alismifolius, R. alismifolius var. davisii, R. alismifolius var. hartwegii, R. alismifolius var. lemmonii, R. alismifolius var. montanus
Synonyms Oxygraphis glacialis
Name authority de Candolle: Syst. Nat. 1: 302. (1817) Geyer ex Bentham: Pl. Hartw., 295. (1849)
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