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creeping buttercup, crowfoot, double flower creeping buttercup, renoncule rampante, spot-leaf crowfoot

few flower buttercup, small-flower buttercup, sticktight buttercup

Roots

never tuberous.

Stems

decumbent or creeping, rooting nodally, hispid to strigose or almost glabrous, base not bulbous.

erect or nearly erect, hispid.

Basal leaf

blades ovate to reniform in outline, 3-foliolate, 1-8.5 × 1.5-10 cm, leaflets lobed, parted, or parted and again lobed, ultimate segments obovate to elliptic or sometimes narrowly oblong, margins toothed, apex obtuse to acuminate.

Flowers

receptacle hispid or rarely glabrous;

sepals spreading or reflexed from base, 4-7(-10) × 1.5-3(-4) mm, hispid or sometimes glabrous;

petals 5(-150), yellow, 6-18 × 5-12 mm.

pedicellate;

receptacle glabrous;

sepals 5, reflexed, 1.5-2 × 0.8-1.2 mm, densely pubescent;

petals 0-5, 1.1-1.8 × 0.2-0.7 mm.

Heads of achenes

globose or ovoid, 5-10 × 5-8 mm;

achenes 2.6-3.2 × 2-2.8 mm, glabrous, margin forming narrow rib 0.1-0.2 mm wide;

beak persistent, lanceolate to lance-filiform, curved, 0.8-1.2 mm.

globose, 3-5 × 3-5 mm;

achenes 10-20 per head, 1.7-2 × 1.4-1.7 mm, faces papillose, each papilla crowned with hooked bristle, otherwise glabrous, margin smooth;

beak deltate with slender recurved tip, 0.4-0.6 mm.

Basal

and lower cauline leaf blades semicircular or reniform, 3-parted or -divided, 1.5-3.2 × 1-2.4 cm, again lobed, base cordate, margins dentate, apex rounded.

2n

= 14, 32.

Ranunculus repens

Ranunculus parviflorus

Phenology Flowering late winter–summer (Mar–Aug). Flowering spring–summer (Mar–Jul).
Habitat Meadows, borders of marshes, lawns, roadsides Roadsides, fields, and woods
Elevation 0-2500 m (0-8200 ft) 50-200 m (200-700 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AK; AL; AR; CA; CT; DC; DE; IA; ID; IL; IN; KY; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MT; NC; NE; NH; NJ; NV; NY; OH; OR; PA; RI; SC; SD; TN; TX; UT; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; WY; AB; BC; NB; NF; NS; ON; PE; QC; YT; SPM; Central America; South America; Pacific Islands; Greenland; native to Eurasia; Australia [Introduced in North America]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; AR; CA; FL; GA; IL; KY; LA; MD; MO; MS; NC; NJ; NY; OK; SC; TN; TX; VA; native to Europe; Pacific Islands; Australia [Introduced in North America]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Ranunculus repens is widely naturalized in many parts of the world. Plants with sparse pubescence have been called R. repens var. glabratus. Horticultural forms with the outer stamens transformed into numerous extra petals occasionally become established and have been called R. repens var. pleniflorus. These variants have no taxonomic significance.

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

Source FNA vol. 3. FNA vol. 3.
Parent taxa Ranunculaceae > Ranunculus > subg. Ranunculus > sect. Ranunculus Ranunculaceae > Ranunculus > subg. Ranunculus > sect. Echinella
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. pusillus, R. pygmaeus, R. ranunculinus, R. recurvatus, 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. 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. repens var. erectus, R. repens var. glabratus, R. repens var. linearilobus, R. repens var. pleniflorus, R. repens var. villosus
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 554. (1753) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. ed. 2, 1: 780. (1762)
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