Ranunculus occidentalis var. howellii

Western buttercup

Family: Ranunculaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS PPD

Western buttercup is a California native perennial found in the Klamath Ranges in mountain meadows at elevations of 900 to 1,400 meters. Flowering from April to July, this plant produces bright yellow flowers 6 to 10 millimeters long with delicate, glossy petals. Growing with erect to slightly decumbent stems, it develops a distinctive clump-like form in open grassland areas. Its basal leaves are divided into three parts with narrow elliptic segments that may have subtle serrated edges. The compact flower heads and finely divided leaves make this buttercup a charming component of mountain meadow ecosystems.

Habitat: Meadows

Bloom period: Apr-Jul

Elevation: 900-1400 m

Bioregions: KR

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