Ranunculus occidentalis var. brevistylis
Ranunculus sect. Ranunculus
western buttercup
basal, sometimes also nodal, sometimes tuberous.
erect to reclining, 2-3 mm thick, pilose or glabrous.
erect to decumbent, sometimes stoloniferous, sometimes bulbous-based, without bulbils.
basal and cauline, petiolate;
basal deeply parted or compound (except sometimes in R. orthorhynchus var. bloomeri), blades with segments lobed or parted, margins toothed;
cauline deeply parted or compound, similar to basal or with shorter petioles and/or blades with narrower segments (rarely poorly developed in R. fascicularis).
3-parted, ultimate segments elliptic or narrowly elliptic, margins dentate.
1-50-flowered cymes.
sepals 5, 5-7 mm;
petals 5-6, 8-12 × 3-8 mm.
pedicellate;
sepals deciduous soon after anthesis, 5 (sometimes 6 in R. occidentalis var. hexasepalus);
petals always present, yellow, sometimes abaxially reddish, rarely poorly developed;
nectary scale attached basally, free from petal for at least 1/2 its length, forming flap covering nectary (or sometimes attached on 3 sides, forming pocket in R. recurvatus), glabrous, free margin entire;
style present.
achenes, 1-locular;
achene body discoid, strongly flattened, 3-15 times as wide as thick, not prolonged beyond seed;
wall thick, not ornamented;
margin low or high narrow ridge or wing;
beak much shorter than achene body.
3-3.4 × 2.6-3 mm, glabrous;
beak lanceolate, curved, 1.2-1.4 mm.
= 28.
Ranunculus occidentalis var. brevistylis
Ranunculus sect. Ranunculus
Ranunculus occidentalis var. brevistylis may be difficult to distinguish from var. occidentalis; the two have sometimes been combined. The pubescence character distinguishing them is well correlated with geography, however, so I am provisionally maintaining both of them.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Species ca. 100 (19 in the flora).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Petals 2-6 mm, usually no longer than sepals (sometimes longer than sepals in R. uncinatus). | → 2 |
1. Petals (6-)7-26 mm (rarely shorter in R. occidentalis and R. canus, in which petals are much longer than sepals). | → 5 |
2. Basal leaves simple and lobed or parted. | → 3 |
2. Basal leaves compound. | → 4 |
3. Receptacle glabrous; base of stem not bulbous; w North America. | R. uncinatus |
3. Receptacle hispid; base of stem bulbous, cormlike; e North America. | R. recurvatus var. recurvatus |
4. Petals 2-4 × 1-2.5 mm; heads of achenes cylindric, 5-7 mm wide. | R. pensylvanicus |
4. Petals 4-6 × 3.5-5 mm; heads of achenes globose to ovoid, 7-10 mm wide. | R. macounii |
5. Sepals spreading, sometimes reflexed from base with age. | → 6 |
5. Sepals reflexed along well-defined transverse fold 1-3 mm above base. | → 12 |
6. Basal leaves deeply parted or dissected, ultimate segments linear to broadly linear, margins entire (occasionally a lobe reduced to large tooth); Rocky Mountains. | R. acriformis var. acriformis |
6. Basal leaves variously parted or compound but not as above, segments seldom linear, margins toothed; widespread. | → 7 |
7. Leaf blades simple, 3-5-parted or -divided. | → 8 |
7. Leaf blades 3-5-foliolate. | → 9 |
8. Basal leaf blades pentagonal in outline; beak of achene 0.2-1 mm; widespread. | R. acris |
8. Basal leaf blades cordate to reniform in outline; beak of achene 1.6-2 mm; Mackenzie Delta to ne Alaska. | R. turneri |
9. Tuberous roots present. | → 10 |
9. Tuberous roots absent. | → 11 |
10. Petals 10-22; c Texas. | R. macranthus |
10. Petals 5(-7); widespread, e North America. | R. fascicularis |
11. Beak of achene curved, 0.8-1.2 mm; stems decumbent to creeping. | R. repens |
11. Beak of achene straight or somewhat curved, 0.8-2.6 mm; stems erect to decumbent. | R. hispidus |
12. Petals 8-22; Pacific Coast, Arizona, Texas. | → 13 |
12. Petals 5-7; widespread. | → 17 |
13. Tuberous roots absent; beak of achene lanceolate to deltate-apiculate, curved, 0.2-1.6 mm; California to British Columbia. | → 14 |
13. Tuberous roots present; beak of achene subulate, straight, (1.8-)2-4 mm (but sometimes deciduous); Texas, Arizona. | → 16 |
14. Achenes 3.4-4.2 mm, beak deltate or lance-deltate; Transverse Ranges, s California. | R. canus var. ludovicianus |
14. Achenes 1.8-3.2 mm, beak lanceolate; California to British Columbia. | R. californicus |
15. Beak of achene 1.2-1.6 mm; sepals 5-6; Queen Charlotte Islands, British Columbia. | R. occidentalis var. hexasepalus |
15. Beak of achene 0.2-0.8 mm; sepals 5; California, Oregon, Mexico. | R. californicus |
16. Petals 2-5 mm wide; achenes 2-2.4 mm wide, margins forming ribs or narrow wings 0.1-0.4 mm wide; sepals always reflexed; Arizona, trans-Pecos Texas. | R. fasciculatus |
16. Petals 4-9 mm wide; achenes 2.8-3.4 mm wide, margins forming narrow ribs 0.4-0.6 mm wide; sepals spreading or weakly reflexed; Edwards Plateau, Texas. | R. macranthus |
17. Receptacle glabrous; basal leaves 3-parted or -foliolate, segments or leaflets linear to cuneate. | → 18 |
17. Receptacle hispid; basal leaves usually pinnately 3-7-foliolate (sometimes merely 3-parted with orbiculate to ovate segments in Ranunculus orthorhynchus var. bloomeri). | → 21 |
18. Beak of achene deltate or lance-deltate, curved; Sacramento Valley, California. | R. canus var. canus |
18. Beak of achene lanceolate to lance-subulate, straight or curved; widespread. | → 19 |
19. Basal leaves deeply 3-divided, segments again deeply parted, ultimate segments linear or nearly so; Rocky Mountains. | R. acriformis var. montanensis |
19. Basal leaves deeply 3-parted to 3-foliolate, margins of segments or leaflets toothed or shallowly lobed, ultimate lobe triangular or broadly lanceolate; Pacific Slope. | → 20 |
20. Petals yellow on both surfaces; widespread. | R. occidentalis |
20. Petals reddish abaxially; sw Oregon. | R. austro-oreganus |
21. Beak of achene oblong or triangular, curved, 0.2-0.8 mm; introduced weeds. | → 22 |
21. Beak of achene lanceolate or subulate, straight or somewhat curved (sometimes tip weakly hooked in R. pacificus), (0.8-)1-3.8(-4.8) mm; native. | → 23 |
22. Base of stem bulbous, cormlike; petals 9-13 × 8-11 mm. | R. bulbosus |
22. Base of stem not bulbous; petals 7-10 × 4-8 mm. | R. sardous |
23. Stems decumbent, sometimes rooting at nodes; e North America. | R. hispidus var. nitidus |
23. Stems erect to decumbent, never rooting at nodes; w North America. | → 24 |
24. Beak of achene 1-1.8 mm; leaflets lobed; Alaska panhandle. | R. pacificus |
24. Beak of achene 2-3.8(-4.8) mm (1.8-2.2 mm in var. bloomeri, with unlobed leaflets); throughout w North America. | R. orthorhynchus |
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