Kidneyleaf Buttercup

(Ranunculus abortivus)

 

   

 

Color Photograph: Copyright Nearctica.com, Inc.

Line Drawing: Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada, Second Edition.

 

Kidneyleaf Buttercup (Ranunculus abortivus L.)

Identification: Flowers yellow with small, inconspicuous petals bent downward or drooping. Basal leaves kidney-shaped. Upper leaves elongate, commonly (but not always) with two or three projections. Plant 6 to 24 inches in height.

Distribution: Throughout most of North America except for parts of the far western United States.

Habitat: Kidneyleaf Buttercup is found in damp woods, along forest margins and paths, and damp thickets.

Flowering period: April to August.

Similar Species: The kidney-shaped basal leaves and linear upper leaves as well as the small, inconspicuous flowers are distinctive features of Kidneyleaf Buttercup.

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