Ranunculus alismifolius var. alismellus

Plantainleaf buttercup

Family: Ranunculaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Plantainleaf buttercup is a California native perennial found in the Klamath Ranges, northern Coast Ranges, Sierra Nevada, southern Transverse Ranges, San Jacinto Mountains, and Modoc Plateau in damp meadows, swamps, and along streams at elevations of 1,400 to 3,400 meters. Flowering from May to August, this plant produces bright yellow flowers 5 to 8 millimeters long with petals 2 to 6 millimeters wide. Growing with slender stems 1 to 3 millimeters in diameter and reaching 6 to 21 centimeters tall, it forms delicate clumps in wet habitats. Its leaves are distinctive, with ovate or elliptic blades 2 to 5 centimeters long and about 1 centimeter wide, featuring rounded to widely acute bases and entire margins. The plant's roots are minimally thickened, allowing it to thrive in moist, open environments.

Habitat: Damp meadows, swamps, streams

Bloom period: May-Aug

Elevation: 1400-3400 m

Bioregions: KR, NCoR, SNH, SnBr, SnJt, MP

California counties: Fresno, Trinity, San Bernardino, Tuolumne, Riverside, Inyo, Tulare, Mono, Mariposa, Madera, El Dorado, Shasta, Lake, Nevada, Siskiyou, Butte, Alpine, Plumas, Tehama, Modoc, Placer, Sierra, Mendocino, Lassen, Glenn, Ventura, Humboldt

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.