Ranunculus testiculatus |
Ranunculus gelidus |
|
---|---|---|
bur buttercup, hornseed buttercup, tubercled crowfoot |
arctic buttercup, modest buttercup, wetslope buttercup |
|
Roots | slender, 0.5-1 mm thick. |
|
Stems | erect or ascending, not rooting nodally, villous, not bulbous-based. |
erect or decumbent from short caudices, 3-22 cm, glabrous, each with 1-5 flowers. |
Basal leaves | blades broadly spatulate in outline, 1-2x-dissected, 0.9-3.8 × 0.5-1.5 cm, segments linear, margins entire, apex obtuse to acuminate. |
persistent, blades cordate or reniform, 3-parted, 0.5-1.8 × 0.8-3 cm, segments again lobed, base truncate or nearly cordate, apices of segments rounded. |
Flowers | receptacle glabrous; sepals spreading, 3-6 × 1-2 mm, villous; petals yellow, 3-5 × 1-3 mm. |
pedicels pubescent or glabrous; receptacle glabrous or pubescent; sepals 3-5 × 1-4 mm, pubescent or glabrous; petals 5, 3-6 × 1-5 mm; nectary scale glabrous. |
Heads of achenes | cylindric, 9-16(-27) × 8-10 mm; achenes 1.6-2 × 1.8-2 mm, tomentose; beak persistent, lanceolate, 3.5-4.5 mm. |
cylindric to ovoid-cylindric, 4-13 × 4-6 mm; achenes 1.2-2.4 × 0.8-2 mm, glabrous; beak subulate, curved or hooked, 0.4-0.8 mm. |
Tuberous | roots absent. |
|
2n | = 16. |
|
Ranunculus testiculatus |
Ranunculus gelidus |
|
Phenology | Flowering spring (Apr–May). | Flowering late spring–summer (Jun–Aug). |
Habitat | Disturbed areas, especially in grassland | Open arctic and alpine slopes |
Elevation | 400-2500 m (1300-8200 ft) | 0-4000 m (0-13100 ft) |
Distribution |
AZ; CA; CO; IA; ID; KS; MN; MO; MT; ND; NE; NM; NV; OH; OR; SD; UT; WA; WY; BC; SK; native to Eurasia [Introduced in North America]
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AK; CO; ID; MT; OR; UT; WA; WY; AB; BC; NT; YT; Asia
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Discussion | In North America, Ranunculus testiculatus seems to be expanding its range rapidly in arid and semiarid areas. A second species of this subgenus, R. falcatus Linnaeus [Ceratocephala falcata (Linnaeus) Persoon], has been reported from North America, but all reports seem to be based on misidentified material of R. testiculatus. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Plants with small achenes are often separated as Ranunculus verecundus. Achene size varies continuously over the range given, however, and it is not correlated with the minor shape difference mentioned by L. D. Benson (1948). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 3. | FNA vol. 3. |
Parent taxa | Ranunculaceae > Ranunculus > subg. Ceratocephala | Ranunculaceae > Ranunculus > subg. Ranunculus > sect. Epirotes |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Ceratocephalus orthoceras, Ceratocephalus testiculatus | R. gelidus subsp. grayi, R. grayi, R. verecundus |
Name authority | Crantz: Stirp. Austr. Fasc. 2: 97. (1763) | Karelin & Kirilov: Bull. Soc. Imp. Naturalistes Moscou 15: 133. (1842) |
Web links |