Online Virtual Flora of Wisconsin - Ranunculus fascicularis

Ranunculus fascicularis Muhl. ex J.M.Bigelow

Family: Ranunculaceae

early buttercup, thick-root buttercup

[Ranunculus fascicularis var. apricus Muhl. ex J.M.Bigelow, more...]

Merel R. Black

University of Wisconsin - Madison (WIS-VP)

Open Interactive Map

Etymology: Ranunculus: from Latin rana, "little frog," because many species tend to grow in moist places
Plants: erect, perennial, 5"-10" tall forb
Leaves: mostly basal, longer than wide and deeply lobed with the end segment stalked, all segments deeply lobed; 1-3 smaller, less divided stem leaves
Flowers: yellow, 5-7-parted, 1/2"-1" wide, normally 5 sepals; petals narrow, widest near or below the middle; blooms April-May
Fruits: dry seeds fruit drawing

in a roundish cluster
Habitat: dry; woods, prairies
Conservation Status: Native

Dry to mesic (especially sandy or rocky) prairies, ledges, cliffs, rock outcrops, sandstone bluffs, quartzite glades, pine relics, red cedar glades, oak openings, dry woods of oak, oak-pine, and oak-hickory; sometimes on dry roadsides or in open fields.

Occurring mostly south of the Tension Zone but rare in the western portion of the Driftless Area. Records from north of the Tension Zone come from an alvar in Brown Co. and a rock outcrop in Marinette Co. Herbarium specimens that lack roots may be told apart from R. hispidus by their petals, which are widest at or below the middle (vs. widest above the middle) and leaf segments blunt at the apices (vs. acute), not to mention the clear difference in habitats.