Ranunculus glaberrimus Hooker [family RANUNCULACEAE]

Herbarium
Flora of North America (FNA)
Collection
Flora of North America
Resource Type
Reference Sources
Entry From
Flora of North America, Vol 3,
Names
Ranunculus glaberrimus Hooker [family RANUNCULACEAE], Fl. Bor.-Amer., 1: 12. 1829
Information
Stems prostrate or ascending, 4-15 cm, glabrous, each with 1-4 flowers. Roots cylindric, 1-3 mm thick. Basal leaves persistent, blades reniform or obovate to very narrowly elliptic, 0.7-5.2 × 1-2 cm, base truncate, obtuse or attenuate, margins entire or with 3 broad, apical crenae, apex rounded to acute. Flowers: pedicels glabrous or nearly so; receptacle glabrous; sepals 5-8 × 3-7 mm, abaxially glabrous or sparsely pilose, hairs colorless; petals 5-10, 8-13 × 5-12 mm; nectary scale glabrous or ciliate. Heads of achenes globose, 7-12(-20) × 6-11(-20) mm; achenes 1.4-2.2 × 1.1-1.8 mm, usually finely pubescent; beak subulate or lance-subulate, straight or curved, 0.4-1 mm.
Distribution
North America.
Discussion
Usually only a minority of the ovaries develop, and the fruiting receptacle is completely hidden by aborted ovaries. Populations growing at high elevations (Ranunculus glaberrimus var. ellipticus) and low elevations (var. glaberrimus) are usually well differentiated, but these varieties intergrade at intermediate elevations.
The Thompson Indians rubbed the flowers or the whole plant of Ranunculus glaberrimus on arrow points as a poison (D. E. Moerman 1986).
Ranunculus glaberrimus Hooker [family RANUNCULACEAE]
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