Ranunculus orthorhynchus
Ranunculus californicus
Bloomer's buttercup, straight-beak buttercup, swamp buttercup
California buttercup, common buttercup
sometimes fleshy and ± tuberous.
never tuberous.
nearly erect or decumbent, never rooting nodally, hispid, strigose, or glabrous, base not bulbous.
erect to prostrate, never rooting nodally, hirsute, strigose, or glabrous, base not bulbous.
blades narrowly ovate to oblong or semicircular in outline, simple to 3-5-lobed or -foliolate, 2.8-12.5 × 2.5-14 cm, leaflets or segments undivided or 1-2x-lobed or -parted, ultimate segments circular to linear, margins dentate, crenate, or entire, apex rounded to narrowly acute.
blades broadly ovate or cordate in outline, 3-lobed or -parted to 3-foliolate, 1.8-5.8 × 2.3-7.6 cm, leaflets or segments undivided or 1-2x-lobed or -parted, ultimate segments linear to orbiculate, margins toothed, crenate, or entire, apex acute to rounded.
receptacle hispid;
sepals reflexed 1-2 mm above base, 5-11 × 2-4 mm, hispid, hirsute, or glabrous;
petals 5-6, abaxially yellow or red, adaxially yellow, 8-18 × 4-11 mm.
receptacle glabrous or rarely hispid;
sepals reflexed 2-3 mm above base, 4-8 × 2-4 mm, pilose;
petals 9-17, yellow, (6-)7-14 × 2-6 mm.
hemispheric to ovoid, 5-13 × 6-10 mm;
achenes 2.8-4.5 × 1.8-3.2 mm, glabrous, margin forming narrow rib 0.1-0.2 mm wide;
beak persistent, narrowly lanceolate to subulate, straight, 1.8-3.8(-4.8) mm.
globose or hemispheric, 3-7 × 4-9 mm;
achenes 1.8-3.2 × 1.4-3.2 mm, glabrous, rarely hispid, margin forming narrow rib 0.1-0.2 mm wide;
beak persistent, lanceolate, curved, 0.2-0.8 mm.
Ranunculus orthorhynchus
Ranunculus californicus
Varieties 3
The first two varieties (Ranunculus orthorhynchus var. orthorhynchus and R. orthorhynchus var. platyphyllus) are rather weak, intergrading extensively in California and Oregon. By contrast, R. orthorhynchus var. bloomeri often grows with the others with little or no intergradation (although intermediate populations are found in some areas), and it has been treated as a distinct species, R. bloomeri, by many taxonomists.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).
In addition to the range given, localized populations of Ranunculus californicus have been reported recently from a few islands in the vicinity of Victoria (British Columbia and Washington) (M. F. Denton 1978; T. C. Brayshaw 1989). Those populations are small and introgress freely with R. occidentalis wherever they come together. Denton referred her specimens to R. californicus var. cuneatus; Brayshaw reported both varieties from the same small populations, but his data are consistent with populations of R. californicus var. cuneatus that are introgressing extensively with R. occidentalis. Although both Denton and Brayshaw treat R. californicus as a native species in that region, several reasons support the belief that it is introduced there. No reports of R. californicus in the area occur prior to 1978, although the area is quite well collected (especially Victoria, B. C. and the San Juan Islands, Washington); a long history of extensive marine trade between Victoria and San Francisco has resulted in the introduction of a number of other California species to the area; and for scattered small populations of R. californicus to have persisted for long periods in the face of free introgression from R. occidentalis seems unlikely. Given the small population size and the introgression from R. occidentalis, it is questionable whether R. californicus can persist in the area.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Basal leaves simple or 3-foliolate, if compound then leaflets undivided, margins crenate; petals retuse. | var. bloomeri |
1. Basal leaves 3–5-foliolate, leaflets lobed or parted, margins entire or dentate; petals truncate or rounded. | → 2 |
2. Heads of achenes hemispheric or sometimes globose, 5–7 mm; petals often abaxially red. | var. orthorhynchus |
2. Heads of achenes globose or ovoid, 8–13 mm; petals yellow. | var. platyphyllus |
1. Stems erect to decumbent, hirsute or glabrous; ultimate segments of basal leaf blades acute to rounded-acute at apex. | var. californicus |
1. Stems prostrate, strigose; ultimate segments of basal leaf blades rounded to obtuse at apex. | var. cuneatus |
- 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
- Local floras: BC, CA, OR, WA
- Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos, Flora NW, PNW Herbaria
- WildflowerSearch
- iNaturalist (observations)
- USDA Plants Database
- LBJ Wildflower Center
- SEINet
- Plants of the World Online
- Encyclopedia of Life
- Wikipedia
- Google Image Search
