Ranunculus eschscholtzii
Encyclopedia
Ranunculus eschscholtzii is a species of buttercup
known by the common name Eschscholtz's buttercup. It is native to much of western North America from Arctic
northwestern Canada and Alaska
to California
to New Mexico
, where it grows in meadows and talus
on high mountain slopes and other open rocky habitat. It is a perennial herb producing one or more erect stems up to 20 or 25 centimeters tall. The lower leaves have somewhat rounded blades each divided into a few lobes and borne on long petioles
. Any upper leaves are smaller and not borne on petioles. The herbage is hairless and sometimes waxy in texture. The inflorescence
is made up of one to three flowers on narrow pedicels
. The flower has five to eight oval or rounded shiny yellow petals up to 1.5 centimeters long each around a central nectary with many stamen
s and pistils
. The fruit is an achene
borne in a cluster of 17 or more.
Ranunculus
Ranunculus is a large genus of about 600 species of plants in the Ranunculaceae. Members of the genus include the buttercups, spearworts, water crowfoots and the lesser celandine....
known by the common name Eschscholtz's buttercup. It is native to much of western North America from Arctic
Arctic
The Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost...
northwestern Canada and Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
to New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, where it grows in meadows and talus
Scree
Scree, also called talus, is a term given to an accumulation of broken rock fragments at the base of crags, mountain cliffs, or valley shoulders. Landforms associated with these materials are sometimes called scree slopes or talus piles...
on high mountain slopes and other open rocky habitat. It is a perennial herb producing one or more erect stems up to 20 or 25 centimeters tall. The lower leaves have somewhat rounded blades each divided into a few lobes and borne on long petioles
Petiole (botany)
In botany, the petiole is the stalk attaching the leaf blade to the stem. The petiole usually has the same internal structure as the stem. Outgrowths appearing on each side of the petiole are called stipules. Leaves lacking a petiole are called sessile, or clasping when they partly surround the...
. Any upper leaves are smaller and not borne on petioles. The herbage is hairless and sometimes waxy in texture. The inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
is made up of one to three flowers on narrow pedicels
Pedicel (botany)
A pedicel is a stem that attaches single flowers to the main stem of the inflorescence. It is the branches or stalks that hold each flower in an inflorescence that contains more than one flower....
. The flower has five to eight oval or rounded shiny yellow petals up to 1.5 centimeters long each around a central nectary with many stamen
Stamen
The stamen is the pollen producing reproductive organ of a flower...
s and pistils
Gynoecium
Gynoecium is most commonly used as a collective term for all carpels in a flower. A carpel is the ovule and seed producing reproductive organ in flowering plants. Carpels are derived from ovule-bearing leaves which evolved to form a closed structure containing the ovules...
. The fruit is an achene
Achene
An achene is a type of simple dry fruit produced by many species of flowering plants. Achenes are monocarpellate and indehiscent...
borne in a cluster of 17 or more.