RANUNCULACEAE CROWFOOT FAMILY 
SWAMP BUTTERCUP 
Ranunculus septentrionalis Poir. 
This species grows 1-3 feet high in swamps and other moist 
or shady places. It is found from New Brunswick to Manitoba 
and south to Georgia and Texas. 
The roots are fi- 
brous and not fleshy. 
The stem, smooth or 
hairy, produces from 
the lower part num- 
bers of radiating 
stolons 1-3 feet long 
that root at the joints. 
The leaves are com- 
pound and each of the 
3 leaflets has 3 lobes 
variously toothed and 
notched. The lower 
leaves are extremely 
long petioled. 
The flowers are 
produced from April 
to August. The petals 
are bright yellow and 
much larger than the 
green spreading sep- 
als. Stamens and 
pistils are numerous 
as in all Buttercups. The mature akene has winglike margins 
and is tipped by a stout, slightly curved beak, as long as the 
fruit itself, which falls off at or near maturity. 
The Bristly Crowfoot, Ranunculus hispidus Michx., resembles 
the Swamp Buttercup but is more compact. There are no stolons 
and the stem is covered with long bristly hairs, although a smooth- 
ish form is known. The leaves are 3-divided or the basal 3-lobed; 
the divisions or the lobes are variously cut. The bright yellow 
petals are oblong and greatly exceed the spreading sepals. The 
plant is common in the southern part of Illinois. Its general range is 
from Vermont to North Dakota and south to Georgia and Arkansas. 
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