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blister buttercup, celery-leaf buttercup, celery-leaf crowfoot, cursed buttercup, cursed crowfoot, cursed crowsfoot, renoncule scélérate

frog's-bit buttercup, frogbit buttercup

Roots

not thickened basally, glabrous.

Stems

erect, glabrous, rooting at base, only very rarely rooting at proximal nodes.

erect to prostrate, usually rooting nodally, glabrous or strigose.

Leaves

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.

Proximal cauline leaf blades

ovate to broadly ovate, 0.8-2.7 × 0.8-1.9 cm, base rounded to weakly cordate, margins entire or dentate, apex rounded or obtuse.

Inflorescences

bracts lanceolate to oblanceolate or sometimes ovate.

Flowers

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.

receptacle glabrous;

sepals 5, spreading or reflexed from base, 1.5-3 × 1-2 mm, glabrous;

petals 5-6, 3-5 × 1-2 mm;

nectary scales glabrous.

Heads of achenes

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.

hemispheric or globose, 2-4 × 3-4 mm;

achenes 1.2-1.4 × 1-1.2 mm, glabrous;

beak lanceolate to lance-filiform, straight or curved, 0.4-1 mm.

Ranunculus sceleratus

Ranunculus hydrocharoides

Phenology Flowering late spring–summer (Jun–Aug).
Habitat Wet soil or shallow water, in marshes and edges of streams and lakes
Elevation 2000-2900 m (6600-9500 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AK; AL; AR; AZ; CA; CO; CT; DC; DE; FL; GA; IA; ID; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MS; MT; NC; ND; NE; NH; NJ; NM; NV; NY; OH; OK; OR; PA; RI; SC; SD; TN; TX; UT; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; WY; AB; BC; MB; NB; NF; NS; NT; ON; QC; SK; YT; Eurasia
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; CA; NM; Mexico; Central America (in Guatemala)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

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.)

Key
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
Source FNA vol. 3. FNA vol. 3.
Parent taxa Ranunculaceae > Ranunculus > subg. Ranunculus > sect. Hecatonia 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. pusillus, R. pygmaeus, R. ranunculinus, R. recurvatus, R. repens, R. rhomboideus, R. sabinei, R. sardous, 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. 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. triternatus, R. turneri, R. uncinatus
Subordinate taxa
R. sceleratus var. multifidus, R. sceleratus var. sceleratus
Synonyms Hecatonia scelerata R. hydrocharoides var. stolonifer
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 551. (1753) A. Gray: Mem. Amer. Acad. Arts, ser. 2, 5: 306. (1855)
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