Family: Ranunculaceae
bristly buttercup, bristly crowfoot, Pennsylvania buttercup
Robert W. Freckmann
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, annual/perennial, 8"-20" tall, hairy forb
Leaves: basal and stem leaves much the same shape; deeply 3 lobed, the lobes cut or toothed, the end lobe stalked; basal leaves dying early, the few stem leaves stalked
Flowers: yellow, 5-parted, 1/4"-1/3" wide, normally 5 sepals, petals oblong with a wider tip and shorter than the sepals; a few solitary, short-stalked flowers; blooms July-Aug.
Fruits: dry seeds in a cylindrical cluster mostly 1/3"- 1/2" long
Habitat: marshes, ditches, wet meadows
Conservation Status: Native
Plants: erect, annual/perennial, 8"-20" tall, hairy forb
Leaves: basal and stem leaves much the same shape; deeply 3 lobed, the lobes cut or toothed, the end lobe stalked; basal leaves dying early, the few stem leaves stalked
Flowers: yellow, 5-parted, 1/4"-1/3" wide, normally 5 sepals, petals oblong with a wider tip and shorter than the sepals; a few solitary, short-stalked flowers; blooms July-Aug.
Fruits: dry seeds in a cylindrical cluster mostly 1/3"- 1/2" long
Habitat: marshes, ditches, wet meadows
Conservation Status: Native
Lakeshores, riverbanks, along streams, alder thickets, marshes, sedge meadows, ditches, low roadsides, bog borders, shrub-carr, damp meadows and fields, wet prairies, low logging roads, floodplain forests of silver maple-river birch-willow and elm-cottonwood, swampy woods of oak or spruce-white cedar. Widespread across the state.
Flora of North America: Flora of North America Floristic Rating: Coefficient of Conservatism = 5, Wetland Indicator = OBL USDA Plants Database: Federal Distribution and detailed information including photos
Merel R. Black
Merel R. Black
Robert W. Freckmann
