bio.wikisort.org - Plant

Ranunculus glaberrimus, the sagebrush buttercup,[1] is a species of flowering plant in the buttercup family, Ranunculaceae. It is native to interior western North America, in western Canada, the western United States, and the northwestern Great Plains.

Ranunculus glaberrimus
Conservation status
Secure  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Order:	Ranunculales
Family:	Ranunculaceae
Genus:	Ranunculus
Species:	R. glaberrimus
Binomial name
Ranunculus glaberrimus Hook.

Distribution

Ranunculus glaberrimus is found from central British Columbia east to southern Saskatchewan, south through the Dakotas to Kansas, through the Rocky Mountains southeast to northern New Mexico, west to the Great Basin region, and southwest to northeastern California.

It occurs in habitat types with junipers (Juniperus occidentalis), sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) and bitterbrush (Purshia tridentata), in damp ground.[2][3][4] It flowers relatively early.[4]

Description

Ranunculus glaberrimus is a herbaceous perennial plant growing to 4–15 centimetres (1+1⁄2–6 in) tall. The roots are clustered and fleshy.[4] The somewhat thick basal leaves are oval, with long petioles, ranging from entire to having three deep lobes. Cauline leaves have short petioles but are otherwise similar. The flowers have four to ten yellow petals (usually five)[4] about 1 cm long.[5] The sepals are yellow-purple,[4] and the stamens and pistils are numerous.[5]

The species is reportedly toxic to livestock and possibly to humans as well.[6]

See also

• Sagebrush steppe
• Great Basin shrub steppe

References

External links

• Ranunculus glaberrimus var. ellipticus. Burke Museum, University of Washington.
• Ranunculus glaberrimus. The Jepson eFlora 2013.
• Ranunculus glaberrimus. CalPhotos.

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