Ranunculus acris L.
meadow buttercup (tall buttercup)
Ranunculaceae (Buttercup family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
meadow buttercup (tall buttercup)
Ranunculaceae (Buttercup family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
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Species Information
General:
Perennial herb from fibrous-rooted stem-base, sometimes with rhizomes; stems single, erect or nearly so, 20-110 cm tall, stiff-hairy or smooth, hollow.
Leaves:
Basal 5-sided in outline, deeply 3- to 5-parted, 2-5 cm long, 3-10 cm wide, the leaflets 1- to 2-times incised, the ultimate segments narrowly elliptic or oblong to lanceolate, margins toothed or shallowly lobed, tips pointed to rounded, the stalks up to 20 cm long; lower stem leaves similar to basal, but shorter-stalked, transitional to the upper stem leaves and bracts, these reduced to 3 linear segments unstalked on the sheath, entire or few-toothed.
Flowers:
Inflorescence few- to many-flowered cymes; flower stalks to 12 cm long; receptacle smooth; petals usually 5, distinct, yellow, 8-14 mm long, 7-13 mm wide, nectary on upper surface, the nectary scale smooth, just over 1 mm long; sepals 5, spreading, early deciduous, greenish, 4-6 mm long, 2-5 mm wide, long stiff-hairy; stamens 15-30; pistils 20-40 (50).
Fruits:
Achenes, 15 to 50 in a globe-shaped head 5-7 mm wide, the achenes egg-shaped, 2-3 mm long, 1.8-2.4 mm wide, smooth, margins prominent, keeled; beaks wide and flattened, 0.2-1 mm long, tip of variable length, curved or straight, awl-tipped.
Illustration
If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.
Illustration Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia
Ecology
Ecological Framework for Ranunculus acris
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
| Site Information |
Value / Class |
||
|
Avg |
Min |
Max |
|
| Elevation
(metres) |
1020 | 15 | 1870 |
| Slope
Gradient (%) |
9 | 0 | 85 |
|
Aspect (degrees) |
308 | 10 | 358 |
| Soil
Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric] |
5 | 1 | 7 |
| Modal
Nutrient Regime
Class |
C | ||
| #
of field plots species was recorded in: |
139 | ||
| Modal
BEC Zone Class |
SBS | ||
|
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in |
BAFA(4), BWBS(2), CDF(1), CWH(4), ESSF(16), ICH(29), IDF(17), MS(17), PP(1), SBPS(1), SBS(42), SWB(1) | ||
|
Source:
Klinkenberg 2013
|
|||
Habitat and Range
Moist to mesic meadows, pastures, clearings, fields and roadsides in the lowland, steppe and montane zones; frequent in BC S of 56ÝÜN; introduced from Eurasia.Status Information
Synonyms
Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Ranunculus acris subsp. acris
Ranunculus acris subsp. strigulosus (Schur) Hyl.
Ranunculus acris var. latisectus G. Beck
Ranunculus acris var. stevenii (Andrz. ex Besser) Lange
Ranunculus acris var. typicus G. Beck
Ranunculus acris var. villosus (Drab.) S.M. Coles
Ranunculus boreanus Jord.