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low buttercup, low spearwort, weak buttercup

Mississippi buttercup

Roots

not thickened basally, glabrous.

not thickened basally, glabrous.

Stems

erect or ascending, rooting at most proximal nodes, glabrous.

erect or ascending, often rooting at proximal nodes, glabrous or sparsely pilose.

Proximal cauline leaf blades

ovate or lanceolate, 1.2-4.2 × 0.5-1.2 cm, base acute to truncate, margins entire or denticulate, apex acuminate to rounded.

ovate to lanceolate or narrowly elliptic, 1.5-5.7 × 0.4-2.4 cm, base cordate to acute, margins finely denticulate or entire, apex broadly rounded to acuminate.

Inflorescences

bracts linear to lanceolate or oblanceolate.

bracts linear to lanceolate or oblanceolate.

Flowers

receptacle glabrous;

sepals 4-5, spreading or reflexed from base, 1.5-3 × 1-1.5 mm, glabrous or sparsely hirsute;

petals 1-3, 1.5-2 × 0.5-1 mm;

nectary scales glabrous.

receptacle glabrous;

sepals 4-5, spreading or reflexed from base, 2-3 × 1.5-3 mm, glabrous or pubescent;

petals 4-6, 2-6 × 1-2 mm;

nectary scales glabrous.

Heads of achenes

hemispheric to cylindric, 2-8 × 2-3 mm;

achenes 1-1.2 × 0.6-0.8 mm, ± tuberculate, glabrous;

beak absent or nearly so, to 0.1 mm.

hemispheric to ovoid, 2-4 × 2-3 mm;

achenes 0.8-1 × 0.8 mm, glabrous;

beak deciduous, leaving stump 0.1-0.2 mm.

Ranunculus pusillus

Ranunculus laxicaulis

Phenology Flowering spring (Apr–Jun). Flowering late winter–summer (Mar–Jul).
Habitat Ditches, ponds, and swamps Around ponds and ditches, in meadows, roadsides, and open woods
Elevation 0-300 m (0-1000 ft) 0-100 m (0-300 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; CA; DC; DE; FL; GA; IL; IN; KY; LA; MD; MO; MS; NC; NJ; NY; OH; OK; PA; SC; TN; TX; VA; WV
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; AR; DE; GA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MD; MO; MS; NC; NJ; OK; SC; TN; TX; VA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

In most specimens of Ranunculus pusillus, the heads of achenes are hemispheric to short-ovate and only 2-3 mm. Occasional plants with cylindric heads of achenes 4-6 mm from the Gulf Coast states have been called R. pusillus var. angustifolius.

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

Source FNA vol. 3. FNA vol. 3.
Parent taxa Ranunculaceae > Ranunculus > subg. Ranunculus > sect. Flammula Ranunculaceae > Ranunculus > subg. Ranunculus > sect. Flammula
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. platensis, R. populago, 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. 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. triternatus, R. turneri, R. uncinatus
Synonyms R. oblongifolius, R. pusillus var. angustifolius, R. tener R. mississippiensis, R. subcordatus, R. texensis
Name authority Poiret: in J. Lamarck et al., Encycl. 6: 99. (1804) Darby: Man. Bot. 2: 4. (1841)
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