Ranunculus uncinatus |
Ranunculus cardiophyllus |
|
---|---|---|
hook fruit buttercup, little buttercup, woodland buttercup |
heart-leaf buttercup, renoncule pédatifide |
|
Roots | never tuberous. |
cylindric, 1.3-2 mm thick. |
Stems | erect, never rooting nodally, hispid or glabrous, base not bulbous. |
erect, 11-53 cm, pilose or glabrous, each with 1-5 flowers. |
Basal leaves | persistent, blades ovate or elliptic, undivided or innermost 3-5-parted, 2.2-6.9 × 1.8-4.5 cm, base cordate to broadly obtuse, margins crenate with more than 5 crenae, apex rounded to broadly acute. |
|
Basal leaf blades | 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. |
|
Flowers | receptacle glabrous; sepals reflexed or sometimes spreading, 2-3.5 × 1-2 mm, pubescent; petals 5, yellow, 2-4(-6) × 1-2(-3) mm. |
pedicels pilose; receptacle canescent; sepals 5-8 × 3-7 mm, abaxially pilose, hairs colorless; petals (0-)5-10, 6-13 × 4-13 mm; nectary scale ciliate or sometimes glabrous. |
Heads of achenes | 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. |
ovoid or cylindric, 5-16 × 5-9 mm; achenes 1.8-2.2 × 1.5-2 mm, finely canescent; beak subulate, curved or straight, 0.6-1.2 mm. |
2n | = 28. |
= 32. |
Ranunculus uncinatus |
Ranunculus cardiophyllus |
|
Phenology | Flowering spring–summer (Apr–Aug). | Flowering spring–summer (May–Sep). |
Habitat | Moist meadows or woods, often along streams | Wet or dry meadows |
Elevation | 0-3400 m (0-11200 ft) | 600-3400 m (2000-11200 ft) |
Distribution |
AK; AZ; CA; CO; ID; MT; NM; NV; OR; WA; WY; AB; BC
|
AZ; CO; MT; ND; NM; SD; UT; WA; WY; AB; BC; SK
|
Discussion | 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.) |
Ranunculus cardiophyllus is quite variable. Through most of its range, leaves always have rounded marginal crenae and cordate or truncate bases, stems are often densely pilose (but may be sparsely pilose or glabrous), and achene beaks are curved. In plants from Arizona and New Mexico, however, leaves may have obtuse marginal crenae or broadly obtuse bases, stems are never densely pilose, and achene beaks are sometimes straight. Forms showing some or all of these charactersistics are often separated as R. cardiophyllus var. subsagittatus. The characteristics are poorly correlated, however, and taxonomic recognition is not warranted. Most specimens of Ranunculus cardiophyllus have all of the basal leaves unlobed, but plants with the innermost basal leaf 3-5-lobed are common. A few specimens, mostly from the northern part of its range, have all of the basal leaves 5-parted or -divided. Those plants approach R. pedatifidus in their morphology, and R. cardiophyllus has sometimes been considered a variety of that species. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 3. | FNA vol. 3. |
Parent taxa | Ranunculaceae > Ranunculus > subg. Ranunculus > sect. Ranunculus | Ranunculaceae > Ranunculus > subg. Ranunculus > sect. Epirotes |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | R. bongardii, R. bongardii var. tenellus, R. uncinatus var. earlei, R. uncinatus var. parviflorus | R. cardiophyllus var. coloradensis, R. cardiophyllus var. subsagittatus, R. pedatifidus var. cardiophyllus |
Name authority | D. Don: in G. Don, Gen. Hist. 1: 35. (1831) | Hooker: Fl. Bor.-Amer. 1: 14. (1829) |
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