Ranunculus cardiophyllus (Heart-Leaved Buttercup) - photos and description
Basal leaves in above photo.
Basal leaf in above photo
Basal leaf lobed in above photo
Cauline leaves sessile, cleft into linear divisions
General: Erect plant with stout stems, stems usually single and branching above. Stems and stem leaves villous.
Flowers: Flowers rather large, with petals overlapping, single on peduncles. We measured flowers to 23 mm diameter, and petals at 10 mm long and 11 mm wide. Some flowers with a slight fragrance.
Leaves: Basal leaves stalked, orbicular with cordate bases, either crenate or lobed, basal leaf blade measured at 35 mm long and 32 mm mm wide. Upper stem leaves alternate, sessile, cleft into linear lobes. Leaves are pubescent on their top and bottom.
Height: Height is listed in Budd's Flora to 50 cm, we measured plants to 24 cm tall.
Habitat: Moist meadows and stream banks.
Abundance: Rare provincially, ranked as an S3 (as of 2021) by the Saskatchewan Conservation Data Centre, fairly common in moister grassland in the Cypress Hills.
Origin: Native.
When and where photographed: These photos were taken May 19th, brook side, centre block of the Cypress Hills, about 400 km southwest of Regina, SK, and June 3rd on prairie benchland, west block of the Cypress Hills, about 425 km southwest of our home in Regina, SK.