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prairie buttercup

renoncule soufrée, sulphur buttercup

Roots

slender, 0.4-1 mm thick.

Stems

decumbent, sparsely pilose.

erect from short caudices, 3-20 cm, sparsely pilose to glabrous, each with 1-3 flowers.

Basal leaves

persistent, blades transversely elliptic to orbiculate, 1-3 × 1-3 cm, base obtuse to nearly truncate, margins crenate or else blades shallowly 3-lobed with crenate lateral lobes, apex rounded or rounded-apiculate.

Flowers

sessile;

receptacle glabrous or pilose;

sepals 3, spreading, 1-2 × 0.5-1 mm, hirsute;

petals 3, 1-2 × 0.5-0.8 mm.

pedicels sparsely brown-pilose;

receptacle brown-pilose;

sepals 6-8 × 3-6 mm, abaxially densely brown-hispid;

petals 5(-6), 8-12 × 6-10 mm;

nectary scale glabrous.

Heads of achenes

hemispheric, 2-2.5 × 3-3.5 mm;

achenes 10-15 per head, 1.3-1.7 × 1-1.3 mm, faces and proximal margin finely papillate, each papilla crowned with hooked bristle, otherwise glabrous;

beak semicircular to deltate, curved, 0.2-0.5 mm.

ovoid-cylindric or ovoid, 6-7(-9) × 5-6 mm;

achenes 1.8-2.2 × 1.4-1.8 mm, glabrous or sparsely brown-hispid;

beak slender, straight or curved, 0.8-1.4 mm.

Basal

and lower cauline leaf blades reniform, 3-parted, 0.8-1.7 × 1.2-2 cm, segment base cordate, margins dentate or lobulate, apex rounded-obtuse.

2n

= 42, ca. 80, ca. 84, 96, ca. 98.

Ranunculus platensis

Ranunculus sulphureus

Phenology Flowering winter–spring (Feb–Apr). Flowering late spring–summer (Jun–Sep).
Habitat Weed in disturbed areas, usually near coast Meadows and seepy slopes, often around late snowbeds, bogs, and streamsides
Elevation 0-200 m (0-700 ft) 0-1100 m (0-3600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; FL; GA; LA; MS; NC; TX; native to South America (s Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina) [Introduced in North America]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; BC; NF; NT; QC; YT; Greenland; Eurasia
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Material of Ranunculus sulphureus from the Aleutian Islands has 3-lobed leaves similar to those of R. nivalis. These plants are sometimes separated as R. sulphureus var. intercedens.

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

Source FNA vol. 3. FNA vol. 3.
Parent taxa Ranunculaceae > Ranunculus > subg. Ranunculus > sect. Echinella 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. orthorhynchus, R. pacificus, R. pallasii, R. parviflorus, R. pedatifidus, R. pensylvanicus, 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. testiculatus, R. trilobus, R. triternatus, R. turneri, R. uncinatus
Synonyms R. sulphureus var. intercedens
Name authority A. Sprengel: in K. Sprengel, Syst. Veg. 5: 586. (1828) Solander: in C. J. Phipps, Voy. North Pole, 202. (1774)
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