Early Buttercup

(Ranunculus fascicularis)

 

   

 

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

 

Early Buttercup (Ranunculus fascicularis  Muhl. ex Bigelow)

Identification: Flowers large with 5 to 7 yellow, waxy petals. Stems pubescent, silky. Leaves heavily divided, the leaf segments rounded, blunted, not pointed. Plant 6 to 12 inches in height.

Distribution: Throughout eastern and central North America.

Habitat: Early Buttercup is found on hillsides, prairies, and open forest.

Flowering period: April to May.

Similar Species: Early Buttercup is the first of the buttercups to appear in the spring. The rounded, blunt leaf segments will almost always identify this species.

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