Ranunculus pusillus

Low buttercup

Family: Ranunculaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Low buttercup is a California native perennial found in northern coastal, northern coastal range, Sacramento Valley, central Sierra Nevada foothills, and central Coast ranges in ditches, streams, wet meadows, and fields at elevations below 500 meters. Flowering from April to June, this plant produces small white flowers less than 2 millimeters wide with sparse petals. Growing 8 to 50 centimeters tall with erect or ascending stems that can root at lower nodes, it develops a delicate, upright habit. Its leaves are simple and unlobed, ranging 1.2 to 4.2 centimeters long, with ovate or lanceolate shapes and entire or minutely toothed margins. The small fruits are lenticular with thick walls and barely perceptible beaks, measuring approximately 1 to 1.2 millimeters wide.

Habitat: Ditches, streams, wet meadows, fields

Bloom period: Apr-Jun

Elevation: < 500 m

Bioregions: NCo, NCoRO, ScV, c SNF, CCo

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