The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

Bloomer's buttercup, straight-beak buttercup, swamp buttercup

Ranunculus triternatus

Dalles Mountain buttercup, obscure buttercup

Roots

sometimes fleshy and ± tuberous.

cylindric, 2-3 mm thick.

Stems

nearly erect or decumbent, never rooting nodally, hispid, strigose, or glabrous, base not bulbous.

prostrate or ascending, 5-20 cm, glabrous, each with 1-6 flowers.

Basal leaves

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.

persistent, blades rhombic to deltate or reniform in outline, 3-4x-dissected, 1.1-3.4 × 2-3.1 cm, segments linear, base obtuse, margins crenate, apices of segments narrowly rounded.

Flowers

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.

pedicels glabrous;

receptacle short-pubescent;

sepals 4-8 × 2-5 mm, abaxially glabrous or nearly so;

petals 5, 6-15 × 4-10 mm;

nectary scale glabrous.

Heads of achenes

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.

depressed-globose, 4-6 × 5-8 mm;

achenes 1.8-2.2 × 1.2-1.8 mm, finely pubescent;

beak subulate, straight, 0.8-1.5 mm.

Ranunculus orthorhynchus

Ranunculus triternatus

Phenology Flowering spring (Apr–May).
Habitat Grassland or sagebrush
Elevation 900-1700 m (3000-5600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AK; CA; ID; MT; NV; OR; UT; WA; WY; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
ID; NV; OR; WA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

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.)

Of conservation concern.

C. L. Hitchcock et al. (1955-1969, vol. 2) considered the name Ranunculus triternatus A. Gray to be an illegitemate homonym and used the illegitimate (superfluous) name R. reconditus A. Nelson & J. F. Macbride for this species. The name Ranunculus triternatus Poiret was not validly published (not accepted by Poiret) and does not invalidate R. triternatus A. Gray.

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

Key
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
Source FNA vol. 3. FNA vol. 3.
Parent taxa Ranunculaceae > Ranunculus > subg. Ranunculus > sect. Ranunculus Ranunculaceae > Ranunculus > subg. Ranunculus > sect. Epirotes
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. 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. 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. 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. 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. turneri, R. uncinatus
Subordinate taxa
R. orthorhynchus var. bloomeri, R. orthorhynchus var. orthorhynchus, R. orthorhynchus var. platyphyllus
Synonyms R. glaberrimus var. reconditus
Name authority Hooker: Fl. Bor.-Amer. 1: 21. (1829) A. Gray: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 21: 370. (1886)
Web links