Al Schneider's Rocky Mountains Plant Descriptions

Woodland Buttercup
Ranunculus uncinatus
Buttercup family (Ranunculaceae)

Woodland Buttercup is one of the more common buttercups in our area. It is common along trails because the little hooked readily attach to fur or clothing and drop at trailside to reseed themselves. All buttercups have a tiny, -bearing pocket at the base of each petal that attracts pollinators. Ranunculus uncinatus is similar to our other Buttercups in being tiny-flowered, shiny-petaled, and widely spread through lowlands and mountains. It grows from eight to twenty-four lanky inches tall, and stems often droop or arch. and lower stem leaves are cut into three main divisions, reminiscent of Geranium leaves. Upper leaves are narrow and smooth edged. David Don named this plant in 1831. "Uncinatus" means "hooked" and refers to the hooked .


©2014 Steve Sullivan

Description

Slender growing 10-30" tall. are 1-3" wide and divided into 3 sharply- . Each is in outline. Stem leaves are smaller with narrower . The inconspicuous flowers are about 0.25" wide with 5 bright yellow petals. Seed heads are globe-shaped and bear a cluster of 1-seeded (). The are less than 0.25" long and sparsely hairy with a curved, -like projection.

Field Marks

Tall, lanky buttercup with large lower leaves (divided into 3 sharply- ) and yellow, 5-petaled flowers.

© Al Schneider

nectar -- A sweet fluid produced by the nectary in flowers and collected by bees and other insects.

lobe -- A rounded parts of a leaf (or other organ).

A herb is a plant whose stems die back to the ground in the winter.

beak -- A pointy thing on a seed or fruit.

ovate -- Oval, egg-shaped, with a tapering point.

basal -- at the base, situated or attached at the base.

achene -- a type of simple dry fruit produced by many species of flowering plants. For example, a rose hip holds a few achenes.

fruit -- any seed-bearing structure in flowering plants. It is formed from the ovary after flowering.

basal leaves -- a leaf that grows lowest on the stem of a plant.

lobe -- Being divided by clefts.

blade -- Just the flat part of a leaf. Not the stem.

leaflets -- Each little leaf-like thing in a compound leaf is a leaflet.

A perennial plant lives and blooms for many years.