Ranunculus sceleratus
blister buttercup, celery-leaf buttercup, celery-leaf crowfoot, cursed buttercup, cursed crowfoot, cursed crowsfoot, renoncule scélérate
erect, glabrous, rooting at base, only very rarely rooting at proximal nodes.
basal and cauline, basal and proximal cauline leaf blades reniform to semicircular in outline, 3-lobed or -parted, 1-5 × 1.6-6.8 cm, base truncate to cordate, segments usually again lobed or parted, sometimes undivided, margins crenate or crenate-lobulate, apex rounded or occasionally obtuse.
receptacle pubescent or glabrous;
sepals 3-5, reflexed from or near base, 2-5 × 1-3 mm, glabrous or sparsely hirsute;
petals 3-5, 2-5 × 1-3 mm;
nectary on petal surface, scale poorly developed and forming crescent-shaped or circular ridge surrounding but not covering nectary;
style absent.
ellipsoid or cylindric heads, 5-13 × 3-7 mm;
achenes 1-1.2 × 0.8-1 mm, glabrous;
beak deltate, usually straight, 0.1 mm.
Ranunculus sceleratus
Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).
Ranunculus sceleratus varieties were used by the Thompson Indians as a poison for their arrow points (D. E. Moerman 1986).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Faces of achene with fine transverse wrinkles; leaf blades lobed or parted, segments undivided or lobed, margins crenate. | var. sceleratus |
1. Faces of achene smooth; leaf blades always parted (often deeply so), segments lobed or parted, margins deeply crenate or lobulate. | var. multifidus |
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OR, 
WA - Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos,
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