Ranunculus aquatilis var. diffusus

Whitewater crowfoot

Family: Ranunculaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Whitewater crowfoot is a California native perennial found in the Central California Floristic Province and Great Basin in ponds, lakes, streams, and river edges at elevations up to 3,200 meters. Flowering from March to September, this aquatic plant produces white flowers with delicate, small petals. Growing with slender, branching stems that spread through water, it creates intricate underwater networks. Its distinctive leaves are uniquely adapted, floating and submersed with segments dissected into fine, thread-like shapes that help the plant move easily through water currents. The small fruits are approximately 1 to 1.8 millimeters long with a short beak, enabling efficient water-based seed dispersal.

Habitat: Ponds, lakes, streams, river edges

Bloom period: Mar-Sep

Elevation: < 3200 m

Bioregions: CA-FP, GB

California counties: Modoc, Monterey, Mono, Butte, Glenn, Contra Costa, Mariposa, Shasta, Mendocino, Lassen, San Mateo, Kern, San Luis Obispo, Plumas, Riverside, El Dorado, Tulare, Lake, Sacramento, Nevada, Sierra, Fresno, Santa Clara, San Diego, Tuolumne, Calaveras, Inyo, Marin, Los Angeles, Merced, Alameda, San Francisco, San Benito, Siskiyou, Madera, San Bernardino, Napa, Sonoma, Alpine, Solano, Tehama, Placer, Humboldt, Ventura, Stanislaus, Santa Cruz, Amador, Yolo

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