Ranunculus abortivus L.

Small-Flowered Crowfoot

© SRTurner

Family - Ranunculaceae

Habit - Biennial or short-lived perennial forb. Roots not tuberous (but sometimes enlarged basally).

	Roots.
© SRTurner

Stems - Ascending to erect, to 70 cm, not rooting at the lower nodes, multiple from base, branching, glabrous, glabrous, without bulbils, the base not bulbous-thickened.

	Node of stem.
© SRTurner

Leaves - Basal leaves present at flowering, moderately to long-petiolate, the blade 1-4 cm long, 2-5 cm wide, kidney-shaped to more or less circular, simple, unlobed or sometimes the innermost 3-lobed, the base shallowly to deeply cordate, the margins scalloped. Stem leaves sessile to short-petiolate, the blade deeply 3-or 5-lobed or -compound, the segments narrowly lanceolate to obovate, the broader ones toothed or narrowly lobed along the margins.

	Basal rosette.
© DETenaglia

	Basal leaf, adaxial.
© SRTurner

	Basal leaves, abaxial.
© SRTurner

	Basal leaves.
© DETenaglia

	Cauline leaves.
© DETenaglia

	Stem leaf, adaxial.
© SRTurner

	Stem leaf, abaxial.
© SRTurner

Inflorescence - Open panicles or single flowers at branch tips. Peduncle to 9 cm long, glabrous.

	Inflorescence.
© SRTurner

Flowers - Sepals 5, 2.0-2.5 mm long, spreading or reflexed from the base with age, lacking a transverse fold, plane. Petals 5, 1.5-3.5 mm long, 1-2 mm wide, elliptic, slightly shorter than the sepals, yellow, glabrous. Stamens 20 or more, from base of pistils. Filaments and anthers yellow. Pistils numerous, forming a globose head to 5 mm long. Style present but minute.

	Flowers.
© SRTurner

	Calyx.
© DETenaglia

	Flower.
© DETenaglia

Fruits - Head of achenes 3-6 mm long at maturity, ovoid-globose, the receptacle sparsely hairy. Achenes 1.4-1.6 mm long, turgid, the dorsal margin broadly and bluntly angled, the wall thick, smooth, glabrous, the beak 0.1-0.2 mm long, slender, curved.

	Fruit cluster.
© SRTurner

Flowering - March - June.

Habitat - Streambanks, pond margins, forests, prairies, ledges of bluffs, pastures, fields, orchards, lawns, ditches, roadsides, and open, disturbed areas.

Origin - Native to the U.S.

Lookalikes - Other species of Ranunculus, especially R. micranthus.

Other info. - This is a very common plant throughout Missouri, also ocurring across most of the continental U.S. except for a few western states. It is easily recognized by its small, pale yellow flowers, basal leaves, and generally sparse habit. It strongly resembles R. micranthus but can be distinguished from that species by its glabrous stems and basal leaves with cordate bases. It is also somewhat weedier than R. micranthus, occurring in lawns and pastures in addition to less disturbed habitats. It tends to prefer areas of abundant moisture.

The genus name Ranunculus is derived from Latin for "little frog," probably in reference to the common trait of many species to grow near or in water. The common name "crowfoot" refers to the typically 3-fingered shape of the upper leaves. An old children's game involves holding a buttercup flower up to the chin, whereupon a yellow reflection supposedly reveals a fondness for butter. Most species of Ranunculus, including this one, contain an acrid sap which is toxic and can cause dermatitis in some individuals. The bitter taste of the plants deters grazing, but livestock forced out of desperation to feed on the plants can be poisoned.

Photographs taken off Northwood Rd, Platte County, MO., 3-28-00, in Brown Summit, NC., 3-14-03, and off Lee Rd 54, Auburn, AL., 3-3-05 (DETenaglia); also near Labadie, Franklin County, MO, 4-23-2014, Pacific Palisades Conservation Area, Jefferson County, MO, 4-2-2019, near Labadie, Franklin County, MO, 4-1-2020, Young Conservation Area, Jefferson County, MO, 3-30-2021, and along the Katy Trail near Dutzow, Warren County, MO, 4-18-2022 (SRTurner).