Ranunculus hystriculus

Waterfall false buttercup

Family: Ranunculaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Waterfall false buttercup is a California native perennial found in the Sierra Nevada in wet places near streams and waterfalls at elevations of 300 to 1,800 meters. Flowering from February to July, this plant produces white or pale yellow flowers with 8 to 12 small petals that are approximately green in color. Growing with erect stems 8 to 25 centimeters tall from a short caudex, it forms distinctive basal leaves that are semicircular or kidney-shaped, with 5 to 7 shallow lobes. Its basal leaves are 1.2 to 4.6 centimeters long, with rounded or slightly pointed tips and crenate margins, while any cauline leaves are minimal and scale-like. The fruit is cylindrical with strong longitudinal veins and a distinctive thread-like, hooked beak that persists after flowering.

Habitat: Wet places near streams, especially waterfalls

Bloom period: Feb-Jul

Elevation: 300-1800 m

Bioregions: SN.

California counties: Plumas, Fresno, Butte, Tuolumne, Mariposa, Placer, Stanislaus, Tulare, Amador

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