Ranunculus eschscholtzii var. eschscholtzii

Eschscholtz's buttercup

Family: Ranunculaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Eschscholtz's buttercup is a native perennial found in the Klamath Ranges and Sierra Nevada Mountains on open, rocky alpine slopes and meadows at elevations of 2,200 to 3,600 meters. Flowering from July to August, this plant produces bright yellow flowers with multiple rounded petals. Growing with a short persistent caudex 1 to 3 centimeters tall, it forms compact clusters in alpine environments. Its distinctive basal leaves are reniform or heart-shaped, divided into three primary segments with lateral sections further lobed, creating an intricate leaf structure approximately 1 to 2.3 centimeters wide. The leaf segments have rounded or widely acute tips, giving the plant a delicate and complex appearance characteristic of high-elevation alpine habitats.

Habitat: Open, rocky alpine slopes, meadows

Bloom period: Jul-Aug

Elevation: 2200-3600 m

Bioregions: KR, SNH

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