''Ranunculus uncinatus'' is a species of

buttercup ''Ranunculus'' is a large genus of about almost 1700 to more than 1800 species of flowering plants in the family Ranunculaceae. Members of the genus are known as buttercups, spearworts and water crowfoots. The genus is distributed in Europe, ...

known by the common names woodland buttercup and little buttercup. It is native to western

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

from

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

, where it grows in wet, wooded habitat such as forest streambanks.

Description

It is a perennial herb producing a slender, erect stem which may exceed half a meter in maximum height. The lightly hairy lower leaves have blades deeply divided into three toothed lobes borne on long petioles. The upper leaves are smaller and divided into narrower lobes. The flower has four or five yellow petals a few millimeters long around a central receptacle and many

stamen The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filame ...

s and

pistils Gynoecium (; ) is most commonly used as a collective term for the parts of a flower that produce ovules and ultimately develop into the fruit and seeds. The gynoecium is the innermost whorl of a flower; it consists of (one or more) ''pistils'' ...

. The fruit is an

achene An achene (; ), also sometimes called akene and occasionally achenium or achenocarp, is a type of simple dry fruit produced by many species of flowering plants. Achenes are monocarpellate (formed from one carpel) and indehiscent (they do not ope ...

borne in a spherical cluster. The bloom color is yellow. The bloom period is between the months of April to August. A lot of the leaves grow on the long stalks from the base, while a couple leaves grow along the stem. The basal leaves are deeply divided into three lobes, and further divided and toothed. The leaves on the stem are divided further. This plant has tiny clusters of seeds with hooked tips. It could be confused with

Geum macrophyllum ''Geum macrophyllum'', commonly known as largeleaf avens or large-leaved avens is a flowering plant found from the Arctic south to the northern U.S. states, and in the Rocky Mountains and west to the Sierra Nevada in California and as far south ...

, as they look similar and share habitats, but looking at the leaves more closely should make it obvious which is which.

Habitat

It can be found in a variety of low to mid-elevation habitats, from meadows, streamsides, and beaches to shady and moist woodlands. It can also be found along trails and other disturbed areas. It can equally be found in non-wetland areas and wetland areas. It’s communities include, the

Redwood Forest ''Sequoia sempervirens'' ()''Sunset Western Garden Book,'' 1995:606–607 is the sole living species of the genus '' Sequoia'' in the cypress family Cupressaceae (formerly treated in Taxodiaceae). Common names include coast redwood, coastal ...

, the

Yellow Pine Forest Ponderosa pine forest is a plant association and plant community dominated by ponderosa pine and found in western North America. It is found from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Coast Ranges in the Western United States and Western Canada. In ...

, the Red Fir Forest, and the wetland-riparian. It can also be found by streams and other areas with water. In elevations, in can be found in anywhere between valleys and lower subalpine.

References

External links

Jepson Manual TreatmentWashington Burke MuseumPhoto gallery
uncinatus Flora of Northern America {{Ranunculales-stub