Home/Species/ Arctic Buttercup

Ranunculus hyperboreus

Rottb.

Arctic Buttercup

G5Secure Found in 3 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →

G5SecureGlobal Rank

Least concernIUCN

Identity

Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.137998

Element CodePDRAN0L1A0

Record TypeSPECIES

ClassificationSpecies

Classification StatusStandard

Name CategoryVascular Plant

IUCNLeast concern

Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations

KingdomPlantae

PhylumAnthophyta

ClassDicotyledoneae

OrderRanunculales

FamilyRanunculaceae

GenusRanunculus

Other Common Names

High Northern Buttercup (EN) high northern buttercup (EN) Renoncule hyperboréale (FR)

Concept Reference

Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.

Taxonomic Comments

FNA (vol. 3, 1997) does not distinguish infrataxa in this species.

Conservation Status

Rank MethodExpertise without calculation

Review Date2016-04-28

Change Date1984-08-29

Ecology & Habitat

Description

Arctic buttercup is a glabrous perennial herb with prostrate stems called stolons that root at the nodes. The alternate leaves have long petioles and palmately 3-lobed leaves that are 5-10 mm long and at least as wide. Solitary, stalked flowers arise from the leaf axils. Sepals are 2-3 mm long, and the yellow petals are 2-4 mm long. There are 15-20 glabrous achenes; each is ca. 1 mm long, has a short beak, and is borne in a nearly globose cluster.

Diagnostic Characteristics

RANUNCULUS is a large genus; a technical manual should be consulted. The more common R. NATANS is very similar to R. HYPERBOREUS, but leaves of the former have a sinus at the base where the petiole is attached, while leaves of the latter are flat along the base.

Other Nations (2)

CanadaN5

Province	Rank	Native
Alberta	S4	Yes
Yukon Territory	S4	Yes
Labrador	S4	Yes
Nunavut	S5	Yes
British Columbia	S4	Yes
Saskatchewan	S2	Yes
Ontario	S2	Yes
Manitoba	S1	Yes
Quebec	S4	Yes
Northwest Territories	S4	Yes
Island of Newfoundland	S2	Yes

United StatesNNR

Province	Rank	Native
Alaska	SNR	Yes
Nevada	S1	Yes
Idaho	SNR	Yes
Wyoming	S3	Yes
Colorado	S3	Yes
Montana	S3	Yes
Utah	S1	Yes

Plant Characteristics

Economic Value (Genus)No

Roadless Areas (3)

Colorado (1)

Area	Forest	Acres
Bristol Head	Rio Grande NF	46,087

Montana (1)

Area	Forest	Acres
Big Baldy	Lewis and Clark National Forest	43,135

Wyoming (1)

Area	Forest	Acres
Beartooth Proposed Wilderness	Shoshone National Forest	16,837

References (2)

Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 1997. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 3. Magnoliophyta: Magnoliidae and Hamamelidae. Oxford Univ. Press, New York. xxiii + 590 pp.
Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.