Family: Ranunculaceae
little-leaf buttercup, small-flowered buttercup
[Ranunculus abortivus subsp. acrolasius L., more...]
Christopher Noll
Merel R. Black
University of Wisconsin - Madison (WIS-VP)
Etymology: Ranunculus: from Latin rana, "little frog," because many species tend to grow in moist places
Plants: erect, biennial/perennial, 8"-20" tall, branched forb
Leaves: basal and stem leaves very different; basal leaves mostly kidney to heart shaped; stem leaves usually deeply 3-5 lobed
Flowers: yellow, 5-parted, 1/4" wide, normally 5 small sepals which are longer and wider than the narrow petals; solitary from the upper leaf axils; blooms April-June
Fruits: dry seeds in a short, oval cluster
Habitat: dry to moist; woods, disturbed sites, cliffs
Plants: erect, biennial/perennial, 8"-20" tall, branched forb
Leaves: basal and stem leaves very different; basal leaves mostly kidney to heart shaped; stem leaves usually deeply 3-5 lobed
Flowers: yellow, 5-parted, 1/4" wide, normally 5 small sepals which are longer and wider than the narrow petals; solitary from the upper leaf axils; blooms April-June
Fruits: dry seeds in a short, oval cluster
Habitat: dry to moist; woods, disturbed sites, cliffs
Mesic to dry-mesic forests of oak-birch-maple, oak-hickory, maple-basswood, maple-beech-hemlock, pine-maple, red cedar, oak-maple, oak-aspen, balsam fir-white cedar-spruce, red maple-aspen-birch; sometimes in floodplain forests with silver maple-ash-swamp white oak and swampy woods with black ash-elm, tamarack. Also in pine relics, wet savannas, wooded stream corridors, roadsides, lawns, mesic to wet thickets, shores, fields, railroad tracks, fields, meadows, and shady cliffs. A very weedy native species, often associated with trails, tree bases, or other disturbed areas.
Floristic Rating: Coefficient of Conservatism = 1, Wetland Indicator = FACW- USDA Plants Database: Federal Distribution and detailed information including photos Dan Tenaglia's The Missouri Flora: Fabulous photographs; detailed descriptions; color and leave arrangement key. David G. Smith's "Delaware Wilflowers": Beautiful photographs; descriptions Southwest School of Botanical Medicine: Britton & Brown Illustrated Flora - 2nd Edition (1913) "An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada"
Merel R. Black
Kitty Kohout
Christopher Noll
Christopher Noll
Kitty Kohout
Derek Anderson
