Ranunculus bonariensis var. trisepalus

Carter's buttercup

Family: Ranunculaceae · Type: annual · Native

Carter's buttercup is a California native annual found in northern Sierra Nevada foothills and the Central Valley in vernal pools and stream edges at elevations of 30 to 1,000 meters. Flowering from March to May, this plant produces small yellow flowers about 1.5 to 2.5 millimeters wide. Growing 4 to 20 centimeters tall with decumbent stems that root at the lowest nodes, it can spread horizontally or grow upright. Its simple cauline leaves are elliptic to ovate, 0.8 to 2.3 centimeters long with entire or finely toothed margins and widely rounded tips. The fruit is a small lenticular body with a thick, smooth wall and a short beak.

Habitat: Vernal pools, stream edges

Bloom period: Mar-May

Elevation: 30-1000 m

Bioregions: n SNF, GV

California counties: Butte, Calaveras, El Dorado, Yuba, Stanislaus, Placer, Tehama, Sacramento, Amador, San Joaquin, Merced, Sutter

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