List of Ranunculus species explained

Ranunculus is a genus of about 1,700 species of plants in the Ranunculaceae.[1] Members of the genus include the buttercups, spearworts and water crowfoots.

Selected species

A

width=350 Species & synonymswidth=200 Common nameswidth=200 Native rangewidth=150 Illustration
Ranunculus abaensis = R. indivisus var. abaensis[2]
Ranunculus abchasicus
Ranunculus abnormis
Ranunculus abortivus
  • var. abortivus
  • var. australis
  • ssp. acrolasius = R. abortivus
  • var. acrolasius = R. abortivus
  • var. eucyclus = R. abortivus
  • var. indivisus = R. abortivus
  • var. harveyi = R. harveyi[3]
  • Little-leaf buttercup
  • Small-flower crowfoot
  • Kidney-leaf buttercup
  • Small-flowered buttercup
  • North America
Ranunculus acaulis
  • Dune buttercup
  • Sand buttercup
  • Shore buttercup
  • New Zealand
Ranunculus acer = Ranunculus acris
Ranunculus acetosellifolius
  • Southwestern Europe
Ranunculus aconitifolius
  • Aconite-leaf buttercup
  • Europe
Ranunculus acraeus
  • New Zealand
Ranunculus acriformis
  • Sharpleaf buttercup
  • North America
  • var. acriformis
  • Sharpleaf buttercup
  • USA (Colorado, Wyoming)
  • Autumn buttercup[4]
  • Autumn sharp buttercup
  • Autumn-fir buttercup
  • Fall buttercup
  • var. montanensis
  • Mountain sharp buttercup
Ranunculus acris
  • var. acris
  • var. frigidus
  • Common buttercup
  • Meadow buttercup
  • Tall buttercup
  • Temperate Eurasia
  • var. aestivalis = R. acriformis var. aestivalis
  • ssp. borealis = R. borealis
  • ssp. glabriusculus = R. glabriusculus
  • ssp. japonicus = R. japonicus
  • var. japonicus = R. japonicus
  • var. latisectus = R. acris
  • var. monticola = R. paishanensis
Ranunculus acutidentatus = Ranunculus acutilobus
Ranunculus acutilobus
Ranunculus adoneus
  • var. adoneus
  • var. alpinus
  • ssp. huetii
  • Alpine buttercup
  • North America (Rocky Mountains)
Ranunculus adoxifolius Hand.-Mazz. 1939
Ranunculus aduncus Gren. 1847
Ranunculus aestivalis = R. acriformis var. aestivalis
Ranunculus ageri
Ranunculus albertii
Ranunculus alismellus = R. alismifolius var. alismellus
Ranunculus alismifolius
  • var. alismellus
  • var. alismifolius
  • var. davisii
  • var. hartwegii
  • var. lemmonii
  • var. montanus
  • Plantainleaf buttercup
  • Western North America
Ranunculus allegheniensis
  • Allegheny Mountain buttercup
  • Eastern North America
Ranunculus allenii
  • Allen's buttercup
  • Northern Canada
Ranunculus alpestris
  • Alpine buttercup
  • Europe
Ranunculus ambigens
  • Waterplantain spearwort
  • Eastern North America
Ranunculus amphitrichus
  • Small river buttercup
  • Southeastern Australia
Ranunculus amplexicaulis
  • Clasping-leaf buttercup
  • Iberian Peninsula[6]
Ranunculus amplus
  • Lacey River buttercup
  • Victoria, Australia
Ranunculus andersonii A. Gray 1868
  • var. andersonii
  • var. juniperinus (Jones) S.L.Welsh 1986
  • var. tenellus S.Watson 1871
  • Anderson's buttercup
  • Western United States
Ranunculus anemoneus
  • Anemone buttercup
  • Alpine regions of southeastern Australia
Ranunculus anemonifolius = Ranunculus elegans
Ranunculus aquatilis
  • var. aquatilis
  • var. arcticus
  • var. diffusus
  • Common water-crowfoot
  • White water-crowfoot
  • Europe
  • Africa
  • North America
Ranunculus arizonicus
  • var. arizonicus
  • var. subsagittatus
  • var. subaffinis
     = R. inamoenus var. subaffinis
  • Arizona buttercup
  • Southwestern United States
  • Mexico
Ranunculus arvensis
  • var. arvensis
  • var. tuberculatus
  • var. echinatissimus = R. arvensis
  • Corn buttercup
  • Devil-on-all-sides
  • Scratch bur
  • Europe
Ranunculus asiaticus L. 1753
  • Persian buttercup
  • Persian crowfoot
  • Asian buttercup
Ranunculus auricomus L. 1753
  • Goldilocks buttercup
  • Greenland buttercup
  • Northern Eurasia
  • Greenland
Ranunculus austro-oreganus L. D. Benson 1954
  • Southern Oregon buttercup

B

width=350 Species & synonymswidth=200 Common nameswidth=200 Native rangewidth=150 Illustration
Ranunculus barceloi
Ranunculus baudotii
Ranunculus bilobus
Ranunculus biternatus
  • Antarctic buttercup
  • Patagonia
  • Subantarctic islands
Ranunculus bonariensis
  • Carter's buttercup
  • Chile,
  • Argentina
  • Central California
Ranunculus borealis
Ranunculus bulbosus
  • St Anthony's turnip
  • Bulbous buttercup
  • Europe
Ranunculus bullatus
  • Autumn buttercup
  • Mediterranean region
Ranunculus bupleuroides

C

width=350 Species & synonymswidth=200 Common nameswidth=200 Native rangewidth=150 Illustration
Ranunculus californicus Benth.
  • California buttercup
  • California
Ranunculus canus Benth.
  • Sacramento Valley buttercup
  • California
Ranunculus cardiophyllus Hook.
  • Heartleaf buttercup
  • Western North America
Ranunculus carinthiacus
  • Carinthian buttercup
  • Europe
Ranunculus cassubicifolius
  • Europe
Ranunculus cassubicus
  • Kashubian buttercup
  • Eastern Europe
Ranunculus caucasicus
Ranunculus circinatus
  • Fan-leaved water-crowfoot
  • Europe
Ranunculus clivicola
  • Alpine regions of southeastern Australia
Ranunculus coloradensis (L. Benson) L. Benson
Ranunculus cordiger Viviani
Ranunculus cortusifolius Willd.
  • Azores buttercup
Ranunculus crassipes
  • Subantarctic buttercup
  • Subantarctic region

D

width=350 Species & synonymswidth=200 Common nameswidth=200 Native rangewidth=150 Illustration
Ranunculus degenii Kümmerle & Jáv.
Ranunculus demissus DC.
Ranunculus densiciliatus W. T. Wang
Ranunculus dichotomus Moc. & Sessé ex DC.
Ranunculus dielsianus Ulbr.
Ranunculus diffusus DC.
Ranunculus dingjieensis L. Liou
Ranunculus dissectifolius
  • Alpine regions of southeastern Australia
Ranunculus dissectus M.Bieb.
Ranunculus distans Royle
Ranunculus dongrergensis Hand.-Mazz.
Ranunculus donianus Pritz.

E

width=350 Species & synonymswidth=200 Common nameswidth=200 Native rangewidth=150 Illustration
Ranunculus elegans
Ranunculus eschscholtzii
  • var. eschscholtzii
  • var. eximius
  • var. helleri
  • var. oxynotus
  • var. suksdorfii
  • var. trisectus
  • var. adoneus
     = Ranunculus adoneus
  • var. alpinus
     = Ranunculus adoneus
  • Eschscholtz's buttercup
  • Western North America
Ranunculus extensus

F

width=350 Species & synonymswidth=200 Common nameswidth=200 Native rangewidth=150 Illustration
Ranunculus falcatus auct. non L.]
  • Curveseed butterwort
Ranunculus fallax
  • Europe
Ranunculus fascicularis
  • Early buttercup
  • Eastern North America
Ranunculus flabellaris
  • Yellow water buttercup
  • North America
Ranunculus flammula
  • Lesser spearwort
Ranunculus fluitans
  • River water-crowfoot
  • Europe

G

width=350 Species & synonymswidth=200 Common nameswidth=200 Native rangewidth=150 Illustration
Ranunculus glaberrimus
  • Sagebrush buttercup
  • Interior western North America
Ranunculus glacialis
  • Glacier crowfoot
  • Glacier buttercup
  • Arctic-alpine Europe
  • Siberia
  • Alaska
Ranunculus gmelinii
  • Gmelin's buttercup
  • North America
Ranunculus gormanii
  • Gorman's buttercup
  • Oregon
  • Northern California
Ranunculus gramineus
  • Grassy-leaved buttercup
  • Southern Europe

H

width=350 Species & synonymswidth=200 Common nameswidth=200 Native rangewidth=150 Illustration
Ranunculus harveyi
  • var. australis
  • Harvey's buttercup
  • south-central U.S.
Ranunculus hebecarpusDelicate buttercupWestern North America
Ranunculus hederaceusIvy-leaved crowfootEurope
Ranunculus hispidus
  • Bristly buttercup
  • Hispid buttercup
  • Swamp buttercup
Eastern North America
Ranunculus hybridusHybrid buttercupEuropean Alps
Ranunculus hydrocharoides
  • Frogbit buttercup
  • Frog's bit buttercup
Western North America
Ranunculus hyperboreus Rottb. 1770High northern buttercupNorthern North America

I

width=350 Species & synonymswidth=200 Common nameswidth=200 Native rangewidth=150 Illustration
Ranunculus illyricus L. 1753
= R. alexeenkoi Grossh.
= R. meridionalis Grossh.[7]
Eastern Europe
Ranunculus indivisus (Maxim.) Hand.-Mazz. 1939
  • var. abaensis (W. T. Wang) W. T. Wang 1995
  • var. indivisus[8]
Ranunculus insignis Hook.f. 1852KorikoriNew Zealand
Ranunculus inundatus R.Br. ex DC.river buttercupSoutheastern Australia

J

width=350 Species & synonymswidth=200 Common nameswidth=200 Native rangewidth=150 Illustration
Ranunculus japonicus Thunb. 1794
  • mao gen
  • China
Ranunculus jovis
  • Utah buttercup
  • Mountain west United States

K

width=350 Species & synonymswidth=200 Common nameswidth=200 Native rangewidth=150 Illustration
Ranunculus kadzusensis
  • Asia
Ranunculus kuepferi

L

width=350 Species & synonymswidth=200 Common nameswidth=200 Native rangewidth=150 Illustration
Ranunculus lanuginosus L. 1753
  • Ranunculus umbrosus Ten.
  • Woolly buttercup
  • Downy buttercup
  • Europe
Ranunculus lappaceus
  • Australian buttercup
  • Eastern Australia
Ranunculus lapponicus
  • Lapland buttercup
  • Arctic
Ranunculus lingua
  • Greater spearwort
  • Eurasia
Ranunculus lobbii
  • Lobb's buttercup
  • Lobb's aquatic butterup
  • Western North America
Ranunculus longirostris =
R. aquatilis var. diffusus
  • Longbeak buttercup
  • White water-crowfoot
  • North America
Ranunculus luminarius
  • Italy
Ranunculus lyallii
  • Mount Cook Lily
  • Mount Cook buttercup
  • Mountain buttercup
  • New Zealand

M

width=350 Species & synonymswidth=200 Common nameswidth=200 Native rangewidth=150 Illustration
Ranunculus macounii
  • Macoun's buttercup
  • North America
Ranunculus macranthus
  • Large buttercup
  • North America
Ranunculus macrophyllus
  • Large-leaf buttercup
  • Europe
Ranunculus micranthus Nutt.
  • Rock buttercup
  • Small-flowered crowfoot[9]
  • United States
Ranunculus millefolius Banks & Sol.[10]
  • Jerusalem buttercup[11]
  • Nurit
  • Israel, Lebanon, Syria
Ranunculus montanus
  • mountain buttercup
  • Europe
Ranunculus monophyllus
  • eastern Europe to subarctic Asia and northern China
Ranunculus moseleyi
  • Moseley's buttercup
Ranunculus muricatus
  • Spinyfruit buttercup
  • Europe

N

width=350 Species & synonymswidth=200 Common nameswidth=200 Native rangewidth=150 Illustration
Ranunculus nivalis L. 1753
  • Snow buttercup
Ranunculus nipponicus

O

width=350 Species & synonymswidth=200 Common nameswidth=200 Native rangewidth=150 Illustration
Ranunculus obtusiusculus
Ranunculus occidentalis
  • Western buttercup
  • Western North America
Ranunculus ophioglossifolius
  • Badgeworth Buttercup
  • Europe
Ranunculus orthorhynchus
  • Straightbeak buttercup
  • Western North America
Ranunculus oz
  • Australia

P

width=350 Species & synonymswidth=200 Common nameswidth=200 Native rangewidth=150 Illustration
Ranunculus pachyrrhizus Hook.f.
  • New Zealand
Ranunculus papulentus
  • Large River buttercup
  • Southeastern Australia
Ranunculus parviflorus
  • Smallflower buttercup
  • Europe
  • Eschscholtz's buttercup
  • Western North America
Ranunculus pedatifidus
  • Birdfoot buttercup
  • Northern buttercup
  • Surefoot buttercup
  • Asia
  • North America
Ranunculus peduncularis
  • South America
Ranunculus peltatus
  • Pond water crowfoot
  • Europe
  • Southwestern Asia
  • Northern Africa
Ranunculus penicillatus
  • Europe
  • Morocco
Ranunculus penicillatus ssp. pseudofluitans
  • Southern UK (chalk streams)
Ranunculus pensylvanicus
  • Pennsylvania buttercup
  • North America
Ranunculus pimpinellifolius Hook.
  • Bog buttercup
  • Eastern Australia
Ranunculus pinguis
  • New Zealand (Auckland and Campbell Islands)
Ranunculus platanifolius
  • Large white buttercup
Ranunculus polyanthemos
  • Multiflowered buttercup
  • Europe
  • Central Asia
  • Siberia
Ranunculus populago
  • Popular buttercup
  • Mountain Buttercup
  • Pacific Northwest United States
Ranunculus pusillus
  • Low spearwort
  • Eastern United States
Ranunculus pygmaeus
  • Pygmy buttercup
  • Circumpolar Arctic
Ranunculus pyrenaeus
  • Pyrenean buttercup
  • Andorra
  • France
  • Spain

R

width=350 Species & synonymswidth=200 Common nameswidth=200 Native rangewidth=150 Illustration
Ranunculus radicans
  • Siberia to northern China
Ranunculus recurvatus
  • Hooked crowfoot
  • Hooked buttercup
  • Eastern North America
Ranunculus repens
  • Creeping buttercup
  • Eurasia
  • Northwestern Africa
Ranunculus reptans
  • R. flammula var. filiformis
  • Greater creeping spearwort
  • North America
Ranunculus rhomboideus
  • Prairie Buttercup
  • North America

S

width=350 Species & synonymswidth=200 Common nameswidth=200 Native rangewidth=150 Illustration
Ranunculus sardous
  • Hairy buttercup
  • Sardinian buttercup
  • Europe
Ranunculus sceleratus
  • Cursed buttercup
  • Celery-leaved buttercup
  • Eurasia
  • North America
Ranunculus seguieri
  • Seguier's buttercup
  • Southeastern Europe
Ranunculus septentrionalis
  • Swamp buttercup
  • Eastern North America
Ranunculus sericophyllus Hook.f.
  • Silky alpine buttercup[12]
  • Feathery-leaved buttercup[13]
  • New Zealand
Ranunculus siamensis
  • Thailand, India, Nepal, Myanmar and Indochina
Ranunculus sieboldii
  • Asia
Ranunculus silerifolius
  • Eastern Asia
Ranunculus subrigidus
 = R. aquatilis var. diffusus
  • White water-crowfoot
Ranunculus sulphureus
  • var. altaica
  • var. sulphureus
  • var. albertii
     = R. alberti
  • var. intercedens
     = R. sulphureus
  • Sulphur buttercup
  • Alaska
  • Canada
  • Greenland

T

width=350 Species & synonymswidth=200 Common nameswidth=200 Native rangewidth=150 Illustration
Ranunculus thora
  • Tora buttercup
  • Europe
Ranunculus trichophyllus = R. aquatilis var. diffusus
Ranunculus trilobus
  • Threelobe buttercup[14]
  • Mediterranean
Ranunculus triternatus
Ranunculus trivedii
  • Himalayas
Ranunculus turneri

U

width=350 Species & synonymswidth=200 Common nameswidth=200 Native rangewidth=150 Illustration
Ranunculus uncinatus
  • Woodland buttercup
  • Little buttercup
  • Western North America

V

width=350 Species & synonymswidth=200 Common nameswidth=200 Native rangewidth=150 Illustration
Ranunculus velutinus Ten. 1825
Ranunculus venetus Huter ex Landolt
Ranunculus verticillatus
  • Lobe-leaf buttercup
  • New Zealand
Ranunculus viridis H. D. Wilson et Garn.-Jones
  • Mt Allen buttercup

W

width=350 Species & synonymswidth=200 Common nameswidth=200 Native rangewidth=150 Illustration
Ranunculus wangianus Q. E. Yang 2000
Ranunculus weddellii Lourteig
Ranunculus wettsteinii Dörfl.
Ranunculus weyleri Marès

X

width=350 Species & synonymswidth=200 Common nameswidth=200 Native rangewidth=150 Illustration
Ranunculus xinningensis W. T. Wang

Y

width=350 Species & synonymswidth=200 Common nameswidth=200 Native rangewidth=150 Illustration
Ranunculus yanshanensis W.T.Wang
Ranunculus yaoanus W.T.Wang
Ranunculus yechengensis W. T. Wang
Ranunculus yinshanicus (Y. Z. Zhao) Y. Z. Zhao
Ranunculus yunnanensis Franch.

Z

width=350 Species & synonymswidth=200 Common nameswidth=200 Native rangewidth=150 Illustration
Ranunculus zhungdianensis W. T. Wang 1987

References

General

Specific

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Ranunculus L.. . Plants of the World Online . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2023-03-27 .
  2. http://www.tropicos.org/Name/50054731?tab=acceptednames R. abaensis
  3. http://www.tropicos.org/Name/27100133?tab=subordinatetaxa R. abortivus
  4. http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=233501102 var. aestivalis
  5. http://www.tropicos.org/Name/27100721 var. aestivalis
  6. http://data.gbif.org/species/Ranunculus%20amplexicaulis/ R. amplexicaulis
  7. http://www.tropicos.org/Name/27101296?tab=synonyms R. illyricus
  8. http://www.tropicos.org/Name/27105038 R. indivisus
  9. http://www.acris.nynhp.org/guide.php?id=9277 R. micranthus
  10. https://www.biolib.cz/en/taxon/id621144/ R. millefolius
  11. http://www.flowersinisrael.com/flowgallery3_yellow4.htm R. millefolius
  12. http://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora_details.aspx?ID=1239 NZ Plant Conservation Network
  13. https://www.uniprot.org/taxonomy/147637 UniProt
  14. http://eol.org/pages/594908/details R. trilobus