Buttercup (13)
Buttercups, the Ranunculus genus, are usually yellow and have five shiny petals but there are exceptions. They usually are found in moist environments, again there are exceptions. They are differentiated by their leaves, height and their location. See also Water Crowfoot.
Sharpleaf Buttercup
Ranunculus acriformis
Family:
Buttercup (Ranunculaceae)
AKA:
Photo taken on:
July 14, 2006
Location:
Rustler Gulch, GV, CO
Life Zones:
Montane to subalpine
Habitat:
Moist meadows
Grows to 2 feet with short hairs on the stems, tiny flowers and geranium-like leaves. Seed heads are hemispheric.
Flora of North America reference.
Snow Buttercup
Ranunculus adoneus
Family:
Buttercup (Ranunculaceae)
AKA:
Alpine Buttercup
Photo taken on:
July 7, 2015
Location:
Cottonwood Pass, CO
Life Zones:
Subalpine and alpine
Habitat: Talus, meadows near receding
snow
Stems grow to 8" with 1 or 2 large flowers. Leaves are divided into narrow segments.
Flora of North America reference.
Plantain Leafed Buttercup
Ranunculus alismifolius
Family:
Buttercup (Ranunculaceae)
AKA:
Marsh Buttercup
Photo taken on:
June 3, 2007
Location:
Snodgrass Mountain, GV, CO
Life Zones:
Montane to subalpine
Habitat:
Moist meadows, wetlands
Grows to 2 feet with broad, entire leaves and 5-12 petals. Can grow in large colonies soon after snow-melt.
Flora of North America reference.
Heart-Leaf Buttercup
Ranunculus cardiophyllus
Family:
Buttercup (Ranunculaceae)
AKA:
Photo taken on:
June 2, 2006
Location:
RMBL Gothic, GV, CO
Life Zones:
Montane to subalpine
Habitat:
Moist meadows
Grows 4" to 16" high. Stem leaves are split into slender lobes, basal leaves are fan or heart shaped with shallow lobes and long stalks. Flowers have five petals. Seed heads are cylindrical.
Flora of North America reference.
Alkali Buttercup
Ranunculus cymbalaria (Halerpestes cymbalaria)
Family:
Buttercup (Ranunculaceae)
AKA:
Seaside Crowfoot, Marsh Buttercup
Photo taken on:
August 11, 2014
Location:
Rio Chama, Abiquiu, NM
Life Zones:
Plains and foothills
Habitat:
Wet areas, bogs, stream sides
Grows to less than 12" with erect flowering stems and runners that take root. Leaves are mostly roundish with scalloped edges. Flowers are small with five petals and produce a cylindrical seed-head.
Flora of North America reference.
Subalpine Buttercup
Ranunculus eschscholtzii
Family:
Buttercup (Ranunculaceae)
AKA:
Eschscholtz's Buttercup
Photo taken on:
July 12, 2008
Location:
South Baldy Trail, GV, CO
Life Zones:
Subalpine to alpine
Habitat:
Moist, open rocky areas, snow melt
Can grow to 9" but is usually shorter. Basal leaves are deeply lobed.
Flora of North America reference.
Sagebrush Buttercup
Ranunculus glaberrimus
Family:
Buttercup (Ranunculaceae)
AKA:
Photo taken on:
April 7, 2007
Location:
Almont Triangle, GV, CO
Life Zones:
Plains to foothills
Habitat:
Moist slopes, sagebrush
Grows 2" to 6" high with narrow to oval basal leaves and deeply lobed stem leaves. Blooms early in the season. Flowers have five petals with reddish sepals.
Flora of North America reference.
Graceful Buttercup
Ranunculus inamoenus
Family:
Buttercup (Ranunculaceae)
AKA:
Ugly Buttercup, Homely Buttercup
Photo taken on:
July 14, 2007
Location:
Scarp Ridge, GV, CO
Life Zones:
Montane to subalpine
Habitat:
Moist areas
Grows to 12". Stem leaves are deeply lobed, rounded basal leaves are not. Flowers are small, sometimes lacking petals and produce cylindrical seed heads.
Flora of North America reference.
Macauley's Buttercup
Ranunculus macauleyi
Family:
Buttercup (Ranunculaceae)
AKA:
Rocky Mountain Buttercup
Photo taken on:
July 12, 2008
Location:
South Baldy Trail, GV, CO
Life Zones:
Subalpine to alpine
Habitat:
Meadows, near receding snow
Grows from 3" to 6". The large flowers have long dark hairs on the bracts below the petals. The leaves are notched on the tip.
Flora of North America reference.
Macoun's Buttercup
Ranunculus macounii
Family:
Buttercup (Ranunculaceae)
AKA:
Roughneck Buttercup
Photo taken on:
June 18, 2011
Location:
Water Canyon Trail, Los
Alamos, NM
Life Zones:
Plains to subalpine
Habitat:
Moist areas in woods,
wet meadows
Grows to 2 ½ feet prostrate or erect with a stout, hairy stem which often takes root at the leaf nodes. Leaves on the stem are finely hairy and divided into three leaflets which are further divided into three large-toothed lobes. The basal leaves have long stalks and are heart to kidney shaped. The seed head is round.
Flora of North America reference.
Tadpole Buttercup
Ranunculus ranunculinus
Family:
Buttercup (Ranunculaceae)
AKA:
Los Alamos Buttercup
Photo taken on:
May 7, 2005
Location:
Almont Triangle, GV, CO
Life Zones:
Montane
Habitat:
Open rocky slopes, sagebrush
Appears after snow-melt only a few inches high carpeting the slopes but plant soon gets tall and untidy. Leaves are dissected. Flowers have five petals.
Flora of North America reference.
Creeping Buttercup
Ranunculus repens
Family:
Buttercup (Ranunculaceae)
AKA:
Creeping Crowfoot
Photo taken on:
September 2, 2007
Location:
Lottis Creek, GV, CO
Life Zones:
Montane to subalpine
Habitat:
Moist areas
Grows creeping to 20" with lightly hairy, dark green leaves divided into three leaflets. Flowers have five petals. It is non-native, invasive and considered a weed of concern in some states.
Flora of North America reference.
Woodland Buttercup
Ranunculus uncinatus
Family:
Buttercup (Ranunculaceae)
AKA:
Hooked Buttercup
Photo taken on:
July 26, 2021
Location:
Almont, GV, CO;
Life Zones:
Foothills to montane
Habitat:
Moist areas in woods
and along streams
Grows straggly to 2 feet, often drooping. Both basal and stem leaves are divided into three large-toothed leaflets. Uppermost leaves are narrow and undivided. Flowers are only 1/4" across and the seed head is round. The fruits have hooked beaks.
Flora of North America reference.