Bristly Buttercup

(Ranunculus pensylvanicus)

 

   

 

Color Photograph: Western wetland flora: Field office guide to plant species. U.S.D.A. Soil Conservation Service, West National Technical Center.

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

 

Bristly Buttercup (Ranunculus pensylvanicus L.)

Identification: Flowers yellow, small, with sepals pointing downward. Fruiting cluster elongate. Stems and leaf petioles covered with sharp, erect hairs. Leaves deeply divided into spear-like segments with the apical segment on a distinct, separate branch. Plant 1 to 2 feet in height.

Distribution: Across Canada and southward in the east to Iowa and Maryland and in the west to Washington and Wyoming. Also occurs in New Mexico and Arizona.

Habitat: Bristly Buttercup is found in marshes and other habitats with wet soils.

Flowering period: July to September.

Similar Species: The sharp bristles on the stems, the small flowers, and the elongate fruiting clusters are characteristic of Bristly Buttercup.

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