Ranunculus testiculatus |
Ranunculus laxicaulis |
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bur buttercup, hornseed buttercup, tubercled crowfoot |
Mississippi buttercup |
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Roots | not thickened basally, glabrous. |
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Stems | erect or ascending, not rooting nodally, villous, not bulbous-based. |
erect or ascending, often rooting at proximal nodes, glabrous or sparsely pilose. |
Basal leaf | 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. |
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Proximal cauline leaf blades | ovate to lanceolate or narrowly elliptic, 1.5-5.7 × 0.4-2.4 cm, base cordate to acute, margins finely denticulate or entire, apex broadly rounded to acuminate. |
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Inflorescences | bracts linear to lanceolate or oblanceolate. |
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Flowers | receptacle glabrous; sepals spreading, 3-6 × 1-2 mm, villous; petals yellow, 3-5 × 1-3 mm. |
receptacle glabrous; sepals 4-5, spreading or reflexed from base, 2-3 × 1.5-3 mm, glabrous or pubescent; petals 4-6, 2-6 × 1-2 mm; nectary scales 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. |
hemispheric to ovoid, 2-4 × 2-3 mm; achenes 0.8-1 × 0.8 mm, glabrous; beak deciduous, leaving stump 0.1-0.2 mm. |
Tuberous | roots absent. |
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Ranunculus testiculatus |
Ranunculus laxicaulis |
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Phenology | Flowering spring (Apr–May). | Flowering late winter–summer (Mar–Jul). |
Habitat | Disturbed areas, especially in grassland | Around ponds and ditches, in meadows, roadsides, and open woods |
Elevation | 400-2500 m (1300-8200 ft) | 0-100 m (0-300 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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AL; AR; DE; GA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MD; MO; MS; NC; NJ; OK; SC; TN; TX; VA
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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.) |
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Source | FNA vol. 3. | FNA vol. 3. |
Parent taxa | Ranunculaceae > Ranunculus > subg. Ceratocephala | Ranunculaceae > Ranunculus > subg. Ranunculus > sect. Flammula |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Ceratocephalus orthoceras, Ceratocephalus testiculatus | R. mississippiensis, R. subcordatus, R. texensis |
Name authority | Crantz: Stirp. Austr. Fasc. 2: 97. (1763) | Darby: Man. Bot. 2: 4. (1841) |
Web links |