Ranunculus occidentalis |
Ranunculus macauleyi |
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western buttercup |
Rocky Mountain buttercup |
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Roots | never tuberous. |
slender, 0.7-1.3 mm thick. |
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Stems | erect to reclining, not rooting nodally, hirsute or sometimes pilose or glabrous, base not bulbous. |
erect from short caudices, 6-15 cm, glabrous or sometimes pilose, each with 1-2 flowers. |
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Basal leaves | persistent, blades narrowly elliptic to lanceolate or oblanceolate, undivided, 1.5-4.5 × 0.5-1.1(-2.8) cm, base acute or long-attenuate, margins entire except for apex, apex truncate or rounded and 3(-5)-toothed. |
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Basal leaf blades | broadly ovate to semicircular or reniform in outline, 3-parted or -foliolate, 1.5-5.3 × 2.2-8 cm, segments usually again 1(-2)×-lobed, ultimate segments oblong or elliptic to lanceolate or oblanceolate, margins dentate (sometimes dentate-lobulate or entire), apex acute to rounded-obtuse. |
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Flowers | receptacle glabrous; sepals reflexed 2-3 mm above base, 4-7(-9) × 2-4 mm, hirsute; petals 5-14, yellow, 5-13 × 1.5-8 mm. |
pedicels glabrous or brown-pilose; receptacle glabrous; sepals 6-12 × 2.5-8 mm, abaxially densely brown-pilose; petals 5(-8), 10-19 × 6-17 mm; nectary scale glabrous. |
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Heads of achenes | hemispheric, 3-7 × 5-9 mm; achenes 2.6-3.6(-4.8) × 1.8-3(-3.2) mm, glabrous, rarely hispid, margin forming narrow rib 0.1-0.2 mm wide; beak persistent, lanceolate to lance-subulate, straight or curved, 0.4-2.2 mm. |
ovoid or cylindric, 5-10 × 4-5.5 mm; achenes 1.5-1.7 × 1.2-1.3 mm, glabrous; beak slender, straight or recurved, 0.5-1.5(-2.2) mm. |
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Ranunculus occidentalis |
Ranunculus macauleyi |
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Phenology | Flowering late spring–summer (Jun–Aug). | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Habitat | Sunny open soil of alpine meadows and slopes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Elevation | 3300-3700 m (10800-12100 ft) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Distribution |
AK; CA; NV; OR; WA; AB; BC; YT
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CO; NM
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Discussion | Varieties 7 The seeds of Ranunculus occidentalis were eaten by some Californian Indians. D. E. Moerman (1986) identified this taxon as an Aleut poison: juice of the flowers could be slipped into food to poison the person who ate it. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
The type specimen of Ranunculus macauleyi var. brandegeei L. D. Benson, from the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, Colorado, differs from typical R. macauleyi in its tall stem, broad, crenate-laciniate leaves, and sepals with pale or transparent hairs. These characteristics are suggestive of R. inamoenus, and the plant may be of hybrid ancestry. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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Key |
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Source | FNA vol. 3. | FNA vol. 3. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Parent taxa | Ranunculaceae > Ranunculus > subg. Ranunculus > sect. Ranunculus | Ranunculaceae > Ranunculus > subg. Ranunculus > sect. Epirotes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sibling taxa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Subordinate taxa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Name authority | Nuttall: in J. Torrey & A. Gray, Fl. N. Amer. 1: 22. (1838) | A. Gray: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 15: 45. (1879) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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