Ranunculus glaberrimus


Ranunculus glaberrimus, the sagebrush buttercup, is a species of flowering plant in the buttercup family, Ranunculaceae. It is native to interior western North America, in western Canada, the western United States, and the northwestern Great Plains.

Distribution

Ranunculus glaberrimus is found from central British Columbia east to southern Saskatchewan, south through the Dakotas to Kansas, through the Rocky Mountains southeast to northern New Mexico, west to the Great Basin region, and southwest to northeastern California.
It occurs in habitat types with junipers and sagebrush, in damp ground.

Description

Ranunculus glaberrimus is a herbaceous perennial plant growing to tall. The somewhat thick basal leaves are oval, with long petioles, ranging from entire to having three deep lobes. Cauline leaves have short petioles but are otherwise similar. The flowers have five to ten yellow petals up to 1.3 centimeters long. The stamens and pistils are numerous.
The species is reportedly toxic to livestock and possibly to humans as well.