Ranunculus sceleratus
Ranunculus uncinatus
blister buttercup, celery-leaf buttercup, celery-leaf crowfoot, cursed buttercup, cursed crowfoot, cursed crowsfoot, renoncule scélérate
hook fruit buttercup, little buttercup, woodland buttercup
never tuberous.
erect, glabrous, rooting at base, only very rarely rooting at proximal nodes.
erect, never rooting nodally, hispid or glabrous, base not bulbous.
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.
cordate to reniform in outline, 3-parted or sometimes 3-foliolate, 1.8-5.6 × 2.8-8.3 cm, segments again lobed, ultimate segments elliptic to lanceolate, margins toothed or crenate-toothed, apex acute to rounded-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.
receptacle glabrous;
sepals reflexed or sometimes spreading, 2-3.5 × 1-2 mm, pubescent;
petals 5, yellow, 2-4(-6) × 1-2(-3) mm.
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.
globose or hemispheric, 4-7 × 4-7 mm;
achenes 2-2.8 × 1.6-2 mm, glabrous or sparsely hispid, margin forming narrow rib 0.1-0.2 mm wide;
beak persistent, lanceolate, curved, hooked, 1.2-2.5 mm.
= 28.
Ranunculus sceleratus
Ranunculus uncinatus
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.)
Plants with hispid stems and achenes are often separated as Ranunculus uncinatus var. parviflorus; these two characters are poorly correlated, however, and sometimes vary between plants in a single collection. Ranunculus uncinatus was reported from northeastern Alberta and adjacent Northwest Territories by H. J. Scoggan (1978-1979, part 3). The specimens have hairy receptacles and straight, broad achene beaks; they apparently represent small individuals of R. macounii.
Some Native Americans used Ranunculus uncinatus as an antrirheumatic, a diaphoretic, a disinfectant, and an orthopedic aid, as well as in herbal steam baths intended to soothe sore muscles and rheumatism (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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WA - Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos,
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