Species: Ranunculus inamoenus var. inamoenus Greene

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Ranunculus inamoenus var. inamoenus Greene

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TAXONOMY

Family:

Ranunculaceae

Genus:

Ranunculus

Species Synonyms:

Ranunculus affinis var. micropetalus Greene
Ranunculus inamoenus var. typicus L. Benson

Common Names:

graceful buttercup

DISTRIBUTION

Canada:

Yukon – Mackenzie District – Keewatin District – Arctic Island, south to British Columbia – southwestern Alberta – northwestern Saskatchewan – northern Manitoba – northern Ontario – Ungava – eastern Quebec – Labrador – northern Newfoundland

Saskatchewan:

northeastern Saskatchewan; Lake Athabasca

Ecoregion:

Athabasca Plain

HABITAT

Saskatchewan:

moist grassy ravine slopes, lakeshores, and open woods

Associated Species:

Labrador buttercup, largefruit biscuitroot, little larkspur

RARITY STATUS

Provincial Status According
to Harms (2003):

Endangered

Nature Conservancy Status:

G5 S1

Saskatchewan Species at
Risk Status:

None

COSEWIC Status:

None

Graceful buttercup is endangered because of rarity in Saskatchewan. It is regionally restricted to the southwestern part of the province. Possible threats have been identified for this species.

SPECIES DESCRIPTION

Height:

5 – 30 cm

Roots:

slender

Stems:

perennial, erect, long-hairy or hairless

Leaves:

basal leaves persistent, 1 – 4 cm long, 1 – 3.5 cm wide, oval to round, generally undivided or 3 – 5-lobed, base acute to rounded, tip rounded, margins entire or round-toothed; stem leaves differing from basal leaves, divided, segments 3, narrow

Inflorescence:

flowers 3 – 7 per stem; receptacle elongating in fruit to form a head of fruits, heads cylindrical

Flowers:

stalks slender, appressed-hairy; receptacle long-hairy or hairless; sepals 3 – 5 mm long, 2 – 3 mm wide, spreading or reflexed, hairy below; petals 5, 4 – 9 mm long, about twice as long as sepals, 2 – 5 mm wide, yellow; nectary scale hairless; stamens numerous; carpels numerous on a receptacle

Fruits:

fruits grey-hairy or hairless; beaks 0.5 – 1 mm long, straight or hooked

RANUNCULUS KEY FOR SPECIES FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN

1 Petals white; aquatic plants with all leaves submersed	R. aquatilis var. diffusa
1 Petals yellow; mostly terrestrial plants or not strictly aquatic (except R. gmelinii)	2

2 Fruits with 3 or 4 longitudinal nerves; leaves round-toothed; plants with runners	R. cymbalaria
2 Fruits not nerved longitudinally; leaves various; plants without runners	3

3 Basal leaves entire to slightly lobed, upper leaves similar or absent	4
3 Basal leaves distinctly toothed, lobed or divided OR if entire, stem leaves deeply lobed or cleft and unlike the basal leaves OR basal leaves absent	5

4 Leaves linear and essentially bladeless or blades linear	R. flammula var. reptans
4 Leaves with well-developed lance-shaped to oval blades	R. flammula var. ovalis

5 Sepals 3 or 4; leaves kidney-shaped	6
5 Sepals 5; leaves of various shapes	7

6 Plants at least partially aquatic, < 5 cm high; leaves to 1 cm wide; fruits not constricted, nearly beakless	R. hyperboreus var. hyperboreus
6 Plants terrestrial, 10 – 20 cm high; leaves to 5 cm wide; fruits constricted near the middle, beak hooked	R. lapponicus

7 Plants strictly aquatic, weak stems floating	R. gmelinii
7 Plants not strictly aquatic	8

8 Beaks of fruits minute, fruit corky-thickened towards base; plant fleshy; lower leaves stalked	R. sceleratus
8 Beaks of fruits distinct, fruit not corky-thickened towards base; plants not fleshy; lower leaves more or less all sessile	9

9 Basal leaves entire to round-toothed or shallowly 3 – 5-lobed, stem leaves cleft or divided	10
9 Basal leaves deeply dissected, the lobes often toothed	15

10 Hairs on sepals reddish-brown, long; stems usually 1-flowered	R. nivalis
10 Sepals hairless or white-hairy; stems usually 2 – many-flowered	11

11 Fruiting heads cylindrical	12
11 Fruiting heads nearly round	13

12 Fruits to 150 per aggregate, finely hairy; plants hairy; petals 5 – 9 mm long	R. glaberrimus var. ellipticus
12 Fruits to 50 per aggregate, hairless; plants hairless; petals 6 – 15 mm long	R. rhomboideus

13 Petals 1.5 – 3 mm long; basal leaves kidney-shaped	R. abortivus
13 Petals greater than 3 mm long; basal leaves circular or heart-shaped	14

14 Flower stalks stout; petals 8 – 15 mm long; stems and leaves long-hairy	R. cardiophyllus
14 Flower stalks slender; petals 3 – 8 mm long; stems and leaves nearly hairless	R. inamoenus var. inamoenus

15 Fruits slightly flattened, beaks slender; receptacle in fruit 4 times its length in flower	R. pedatifidus var. affinis
15 Fruits very strongly flattened, beaks stout; receptacle in fruit < 3 times its length in flower	16

16 Petals 5 – 15 mm long, noticeably longer than sepals; sepals spreading; terminal segment of larger leaves sessile	R. acris var. acris
16 Petals 4 – 5 mm long, shorter than or barely surpassing sepals; sepals reflexed; terminal segment of larger leaves stalked	17

17 Stems reclining or prostrate, often rooting at lower nodes; petals equalling or longer than sepals, deep yellow; sepals purplish; heads of fruits ovoid to round	R. macounii
17 Stems erect, not rooting at the nodes; petals shorter than sepals, pale yellow; sepals yellowish; heads of fruits cylindrical	R. pensylvanicus