206 RANUNCULACEAE 



3-lobed, the lobes again shallowly crenately-lobed ; pedicels 1-4 cm. long; sepals thin, 4-5 mm. 



long; petals 5, yellow, 5-8 mm. long, clawed; achenes 10-20, bodies sessile, obovate, 5 mm. long, 



faces spiny-muricate, margin thick and bevelled and keeled, without spines, the keel produced 



along the 2-2.5 mm. long very stout and somewhat curving beak; receptacle short, not enlarged 



in fruit. 



Meadows and lake borders, Transition and Upper Sonoran Zones; naturalized in western Washington and 

 Oregon, south to central California; also in the southern United States. Native of Europe. April-June. 



14. Ranunculus parviflorus L. Small-flowered Buttercup. Fig. 1835. 



Ranunculus parviflorus L. Sp. PI. ed. 2. 780. 1762. 



Annual or perhaps biennial, stems several, suberect, 1-3 dm. long, much-branched, thinly 



long-pilose. Basal leaves reniform, 3-parted or -divided, 1.5-2 cm. long by 2-2.5 cm. broad, 



segments lobed or forked, ultimate lobes acute, finely pubescent ; pedicels obscure in anthesis ; 



sepals 6, 1 mm. long, very hairy ; petals 1 or 2, yellow, 1 mm. long ; achenes 10-20, obovate, 1 . 5 



mm. long, fairly turgid, faces covered with reddish-brown papillae which are produced into 



minute slender hooks, margin strongly marked, beak deltoid, 0.5 mm. long, recurved; receptacle 



not markedly enlarged in fruit. 



Fields, Transition Zone; naturalized in Humboldt County, California, and in the eastern and southern 

 United States. Native of Europe. June-Aug. 



15. Ranunculus hebecarpus Hook. & Arn. Pubescent-fruited 



Buttercup. Fig. 1836. 



Ranunculus hebecarpus Hook. & Arn. Bot. Beechey 316. 1840. 



Ranunculus hebecarpus var. pusillus Brewer & Wats. Bot. Calif. 1 : 9. 1876. 



Tiny annual, stems suberect, 1-3 dm. long, filiform, long-pubescent. Basal leaves cordate- 



reniform, 6-15 mm. long by 12-22 mm. broad, rather deeply 3-parted, again lobed, ultimate 



lobes acute, appressed-pubescent ; sepals green, broadly scarious-margined, spreading, 1 mm. 



long, densely pilose; petals 1, 2 or none, yellow, 1 mm. long; stamens 10 or more; achenes 4-10, 



round-ovate, 2 mm. in diameter, compressed, densely beset with papillae produced into stiff, 



hooked hairs, beak stout and thick, hooked at the tip ; receptacle pyriform, very small, glabrous. 



Shade of trees, Transition or chiefly Upper Sonoran Zone; southern Washington south through western 

 Oregon to southern California, east to Idaho. Type locality: California. April-May. 



16. Ranunculus sardous Crantz. Hairy Buttercup. Fig. 1837. 



Ranunculus sardous Crantz, Stirp. Austr. ed. 1. fasc. 2: 84. 1763. 

 Ranunculus parvulus L. Mant. 79. 1767. 



Probably perennial, stems several, suberect, 1-3 dm. long, much-branched, pubescent or 

 nearly glabrous. Basal leaves pinnate, 2-3 cm. long by 2-2.5 cm. broad, the 3 leaflets parted and 

 lobed, ultimate segments deltoid, pubescent ; pedicels 3-5 cm. long in anthesis ; sepals 5, re- 

 flexed, 5 mm. long, pilose; petals 5, yellow, cuneate, 8-9 mm. long by 5-7 mm. broad; achenes 

 12-25, faces reddish brown, papillate, margin strongly marked, beak 0.3 mm. long, deltoid, curved 

 at the tip ; receptacle but slightly elongated in fruit, covered with long white hairs. 



Transition Zone in this area; naturalized on the Columbia River at Portland, Oregon, and Fortuna, Hum- 

 boldt County, California. Type locality: European. June-Aug. 



17. Ranunculus cardiophyllus Hook. Heart-leaved Buttercup. Fig. 1838. 



Ranunculus cardiophyllus Hook. Fl. Bor. Amer. 1 : 14. pi. 5. f. B. 1829. 

 Ranunculus affinis var. cardiophyllus A. Gray, Proc. Acad. Phila. 15: 56. 1863. 

 Ranunculus pedatifidus var. cardiophyllus Britt. Bull. Torrey Club 18: 265. 1891. 



Pilose perennial, stems branching, 3-6 dm. long. Basal leaves oblong-ovate or cordate, 3-4.5 

 cm. long by 2-4 cm. broad, crenate, the terminal lobe scarcely longer than the others in any leaf ; 

 sepals densely tomentose dorsally and slightly red- or lavender-tinged, spreading, deeply concave ; 

 petals 9-12 mm. long, nearly twice as long as the sepals, the nectary scale ciliate ; achenes about 

 50 in a cylindrical head 10-13 mm. long by 7-8 mm. in diameter, the bodies 1.5-2 mm. long, 

 canescent ; beak short, fleshy ; receptacle elongated in fruit. 



Transition Zone; Rocky Mountains; specimens from Fort Colville, northeastern Washington, are attributed 

 by Piper to this species. Type locality: Canada. June— July. 



18. Ranunculus inamoenus var. alpeophilus (A. Nels.) L. Benson. 



Nelson's Buttercup. Fig. 1839. 



Ranunculus alpeophilus A. Nels. Bull. Torrey Club 26: 350. 1899. 



Ranunculus inamoenus var. alpeophilus L. Benson, Bull. Torrey Club 68: 651. 1941. 



Nearly glabrous perennial, the stems 2.5-4 dm. long. Basal leaves cuneate-obovate, ovate, or 

 nearly cordate-reniform, 2-3 cm. long by 3-5 cm. broad, 3-parted, the lateral lobes crenate, the 

 terminal lobe lingulate and entire ; sepals spreading, equaling or nearly equaling the petals, 

 hairy; petals 5, yellow, 5-6 mm. long; achenes about 50 in a cylindrical head 9-12 mm. long by 

 6-7 mm. in diameter, the bodies 1 . 5 mm. long, finely pubescent ; beak short, slender ; receptacle 

 elongated in fruit. 



Mountain meadows, Transition Zone; Rocky Mountain region. A single specimen from Newport, Pend 

 Oreille County, Washington, belongs to this variety. Type locality: Wyoming. June-July. 



