Ranunculus allegheniensis

Stems erect or nearly erect, 10-50 cm, glabrous, each with 9-40 flowers. Roots slender, 0.2-0.8 mm thick. Basal leaves persistent, blades reniform, outer undivided, inner 3-lobed to 3-foliolate, 1-3.5 × 1.5-4.5 cm, base truncate or cordate, margins crenate, apex rounded or obtuse. Flowers: pedicels pubescent or glabrous; receptacle sparsely pilose; sepals 2-3 × 1-2 mm, abaxially sparsely hispid, hairs colorless; petals 5, 1-2 × 0.5-1 mm; nectary scale glabrous. Heads of achenes globose to ovoid, 3-7 × 3-5 mm; achenes 1.5-2 × 1.4-1.8 mm, glabrous; beak slender, strongly curved, 0.6-1 mm. 2 n = 16.

Flowering spring-summer (Apr-Jul). Woods and pastures; 0-1100 m; Conn., Ky., Md., Mass., N.Y., N.C., Ohio, Pa., R.I., Tenn., Vt., Va., W.Va.

Plants erect, glabrous or subglabrous, branched above, 2-5 dm; basal lvs reniform or broadly flabellate, truncate to subcordate at base, crenate or some variously lobed or parted; cauline lvs sessile or subsessile, 3-5-parted, the lobes linear, varying to cuneate- obovate, the broader ones lobed or incised; pet 1.5 mm, shorter than the reflexed sep; achenes in a globose head, turgid, 1.4-2 mm, the beak firm, strongly curved or hooked, 0.7-1 mm. Moist or dry woods; chiefly in the mts.; Mass. to O., N.C., and Tenn. Apr., May.

Gleason, Henry A. & Cronquist, Arthur J. 1991. Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. lxxv + 910 pp.

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