Ranunculus sulphureus Sol.
C.J. Phipps, Voy. North Pole, 202. 1774
Nomenclatural section used by Flora of North America project Epirotes
Ranunculus sulphureus var. intercedens Hult.
Plants with leaves or spreading stems arising from a caudex; 5–20 cm high. Roots slender and numerous on caudex. Aerial stems erect; glabrous, or sparsely hairy. Leaves simple. Blades elliptic, or circular. Blades adaxial surface hairy; hairs villous; hairs sparse. Blades abaxial surface hairy; hairs sparse. Leaf bases truncate, or obtuse. Leaves lobed, or not lobed (basal leaf blades usually shallowly lobed or unlobed with crenate margins).
Flowering stems hairy. Flowers solitary, or in inflorescences. Inflorescence cymose; terminal; without involucral bracts. Flowers per inflorescence 1–3; large, more than 15 mm in diameter or length. Calyx sepals 5; 8–13 mm long; yellow and brown; scarious; hairy; hairs brown. Petals 5; free; yellow; obovate; unlobed; 6–15 mm long. Stamens 20–30. Nectaries in bisexual flowers present (nectary scale forming a pocket with margins prolonged beyond pocket; glabrous.). Receptacle 2–5 mm high (2 mm in flower, 5 mm in fruit. This species is characterized by having rusty-brown hairs on the receptacle. Note that R. nivalis is glabrous but often has a few hairs on the apex of the receptacle.). Carpels 60–75. Fruit an achene; obovate; 1.5–2.5 mm long; 1.4–1.8 mm wide; indehiscent; yellowish; styles style modified modifying and persisting. Seeds 1.
Chromosome information. 2n = 42, 80, 84, 96, 98. FNA. Ploidy levels recorded 2N-12N.
Distribution. Circumpolar. High arctic. Range in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago wide-spread. Common. Northern hemisphere: Greenland, Canada, United States, Eurasia. Canada: B.C., Lab., N.W.T. (Frank.), N.W.T. (Keew.), N.W.T. (Mack.), Que., Yukon. USA: Alaska. Arctic Islands: Baffin, Devon, Ellesmere, Axel Heiberg, Parry Islands, Cornwallis, Banks, Victoria, Prince of Wales, Somerset, King William.
Illustrations. • Plant habit. Flowering plants growing on the sandy margin of the river, N.W.T., Banks Island, Sachs River, 28 July 1981, J.M. Gillett 18918. CAN. • Arctic Island distribution.
Cite this publication as: P.J. Scott, S.G. Aiken, R.L. Boles, and M. J. Dallwitz. 2000 onwards. ‘Ranunculaceae of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago: Descriptions, Illustrations, Identification, and Information Retrieval.’ Version: 6th November 2000. http://http://www.mun.ca/biology/delta/arcticf/. Dallwitz (1980) and Dallwitz, Paine and Zurcher (1993, 1995, 2000) should also be cited (see References).
