Table of Contents
SPECIES: Ranunculus glaberrimus
Introductory
SPECIES: Ranunculus glaberrimus
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| Joe F. Duft @USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / USDA NRCS. 1992. Western wetland flora: Field office guide to plant species. West Region, Sacramento, CA. |
AUTHORSHIP AND CITATION :
Tirmenstein, D. 1988. Ranunculus glaberrimus. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online].
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station,
Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/ [].
This summary and the literature available since it was written were reviewed
on 6 June 2004. New information was insufficient for revising the summary.
ABBREVIATION :
RANGLA
SYNONYMS :
None
NRCS PLANT CODE :
RAGL
COMMON NAMES :
sagebrush buttercup
shiny-leaved buttercup
TAXONOMY :
The scientific name of sagebrush buttercup is Ranunculus glaberrimus
Hook. (Ranunculaceae). Recognized varieties are as follows [6]:
Ranunculus glaberrimus var. ellipticus Greene elliptical buttercup
Ranunculus glaberrimus var. glaberrimus (typical variety)
LIFE FORM :
Forb
FEDERAL LEGAL STATUS :
None
OTHER STATUS :
None
DISTRIBUTION AND OCCURRENCE
SPECIES: Ranunculus glaberrimus
GENERAL DISTRIBUTION :
Sagebrush buttercup occurs from British Columbia south to northern
California, Arizona, and New Mexico, and eastward to western Montana, Colorado,
Nebraska and the Dakotas [2,6].
ECOSYSTEMS [[5]:
FRES15 Oak - hickory
FRES20 Douglas-fir
FRES21 Ponderosa pine
FRES23 Fir-spruce
FRES29 Sagebrush
FRES30 Desert shrub
FRES34 Chaparral-mountain shrub
FRES35 Pinyon-juniper
FRES36 Mountain grasslands
FRES38 Plains grasslands
FRES39 Prairie
FRES40 Desert grasslands
STATES: (key to state/province abbreviations)
AZ CA CO MT NE NV NM ND SD UT
WY BC
BLM PHYSIOGRAPHIC REGIONS [[1]:
2 Cascade Mountains
4 Sierra Mountains
6 Upper Basin and Range
7 Lower Basin and Range
8 Northern Rocky Mountains
9 Middle Rocky Mountains
10 Wyoming Basin
11 Southern Rocky Mountains
12 Colorado Plateau
13 Rocky Mountain Piedmont
14 Great Plains
15 Black Hills Uplift
16 Upper Missouri Basin and Broken Lands
KUCHLER PLANT ASSOCIATIONS [7]:
K011 Western ponderosa forest
K012 Douglas-fir forest
K015 Western spruce-fir forest
K016 Eastern ponderosa forest
K018 Pine-Douglas-fir forest
K019 Arizona pine forest
K020 Spruce-fir-Douglas-fir forest
K021 Southwestern spruce-fir forest
K023 Juniper-pinyon woodland
K037 Mountain-mahogany-oak scrub
K038 Great Basin sagebrush
K040 Saltbush-greasewood
K051 Wheatgrass-bluegrass
K055 Sagebrush steppe
K056 Wheatgrass-needlegrass shrubsteppe
K057 Galleta-threeawn shrubsteppe
K064 Grama-needlegrass-wheatgrass
K066 Wheatgrass-needlegrass
K067 Wheatgrass-bluestem-needlegrass
K074 Bluestem prairie
K081 Oak savanna
SAF COVER TYPES [[4]:
42 Bur oak
206 Engelmann spruce-subalpine fir
210 Interior Douglas-fir
211 White fir
216 Blue spruce
237 Interior ponderosa pine
239 Pinyon-juniper
245 Pacific ponderosa pine
247 Jeffrey pine
SRM (RANGELAND) COVER TYPES :
109 Ponderosa pine shrubland
110 Ponderosa pine-grassland
220 Rocky Mountain juniper
238 Western juniper
239 Pinyon-juniper
310 Needle-and-thread-blue grama
314 Big sagebrush-bluebunch wheatgrass
315 Big sagebrush-Idaho fescue
316 Big sagebrush-rough fescue
320 Black sagebrush-bluebunch wheatgrass
321 Black sagebrush-Idaho fescue
324 Threetip sagebrush-Idaho fescue
401 Basin big sagebrush
402 Mountain big sagebrush
403 Wyoming big sagebrush
404 Threetip sagebrush
405 Black sagebrush
406 Low sagebrush
407 Stiff sagebrush
408 Other sagebrush types
409 Tall forb
412 Juniper-pinyon woodland
413 Gambel oak
414 Salt desert shrub
501 Saltbush-greasewood
502 Grama-galleta
503 Arizona chaparral
504 Juniper-pinyon pine woodland
604 Bluestem-grama prairie
606 Wheatgrass-bluestem-needlegrass
607 Wheatgrass-needlegrass
608 Wheatgrass-grama-needlegrass
609 Wheatgrass-grama
610 Wheatgrass
612 Sagebrush-grass
709 Bluestem-grama
710 Bluestem prairie
HABITAT TYPES AND PLANT COMMUNITIES :
Sagebrush buttercup is common throughout many habitat types and plant
communities. It is present in a number of ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa),
fir-spruce (Abies-Picea spp.), Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesia), and
pinyon-juniper (Pinus-Juniperus spp.) habitat types, as well as in sagebrush
(Artemisia spp.), other shrubland, and grassland communities. The typical
variety most commonly grows in lowland valleys in sagebrush and grasslands
or in parks or open woodlands [2,6]. Elliptical buttercup occurs on upper
sagebrush slopes and at higher elevations with juniper (Juniperus spp.),
ponderosa pine, Jeffrey pine (Pinus jeffreyi), firs, and spruces [2,6].
MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS
SPECIES: Ranunculus glaberrimus
IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE :
Wildlife species generally use sagebrush buttercup early in the
year because palatability decreases as the plant matures [11]. Deer and
elk feed on sagebrush buttercup in the early spring before other, more
preferred forage species become available [2].
Domestic livestock also utilize sagebrush buttercup during the early
spring, although the plant is usually gone before these animals reach
the range [11]. All species of Ranunculus have an "acrid
taste" and, depending on the species, plant part, and season, may
be toxic to cattle and horses [11]. The toxic substances are
volatile, however, and are dissipated during the drying process, which
renders them harmless in hay [11].
Due to its small stature, prostrate growth form, and patchy
distribution, sagebrush buttercup provides little cover for wildlife.
PALATABILITY :
Palatability of sagebrush buttercup is highest in the early spring and
decreases until the plant disappears from the range in midsummer [11].
The palatability and degree of use by livestock and wildlife species for
elliptical buttercup in several western states has been
rated as follows [3]:
CO MT ND UT WY
Cattle Poor Poor Poor Fair Poor
Sheep Poor Fair Fair Fair Fair
Horses Poor Poor Poor Poor Poor
Pronghorn ---- Good ---- Poor ----
Elk ---- Fair ---- Fair ----
Mule deer ---- Fair ---- Fair ----
Small mammals ---- ---- ---- Fair Fair
Small nongame birds ---- Fair ---- Poor ----
Upland game birds ---- Good ---- Fair Fair
Waterfowl ---- ---- ---- Fair Poor
NUTRITIONAL VALUE :
Elliptical buttercup is rated fair in energy and protein value [3].
COVER VALUE :
No information is available on this topic.
VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES :
Sagebrush buttercup has low potential for erosion control and for long-
and short-term revegetation projects [3].
OTHER USES AND VALUES :
No information is available on this topic.
OTHER MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS :
No information is available on this topic.
BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
SPECIES: Ranunculus glaberrimus
GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS :
Sagebrush buttercup is a native, cool-season annual or perennial forb
that grows from 2 to 6 inches (5.1-15 cm) in height [11,12].
The stem or stems are erect to prostrate, 2 to 8 inches (5-20 cm)
long, and simple or branched [6]. Sagebrush buttercup grows from a
cluster of fleshy roots [6]; broad basal leaves are rounded or ovate,
with margins indented to form few to many shallow lobes [11]. Elliptical
buttercup has entire, elliptic to oblanceolate basal leaves, while
the typical variety has ovate to obovate, shallowly lobed
basal leaves [6]. The 5 sepals are most commonly purplish-tinged;
cuneate to flabellate petals also grow in groups of 5 and are yellow.
The fruit is an achene [6].
RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM :
Chamaephyte
REGENERATION PROCESSES :
Sagebrush buttercup regenerates sexually through seeds and vegetatively
through root sprouting [3,11]. From
30 to 150 seeds are contained in each semiglobose cluster of achenes at the top
of the flower stalk [6].
SITE CHARACTERISTICS :
Sagebrush buttercup is fairly widespread throughout its range and occurs
in a number of plant communities from sagebrush-grassland to higher
elevation montane sites. The typical variety grows on drier sites and at
lower elevations than does elliptical buttercup [2].
Sagebrush buttercup grows on sandy or loamy soils [2]. Growth
on clay is described as fair to good, and growth on gravel as fair to
poor [3]. Optimum soil depth is 20 inches (51 cm) or more [3].
Elevational ranges of both varieties are as follows [3]:
Elliptical buttercup: from 5,000-10,000 feet (1,525-3,050 m) in CO
3,200-9,000 feet (976-2,745 m) in MT
5,500-9,000 feet (1,678-2,745 m) in UT
6,600-11,600 feet (2,013-3,538 m) in WY
Typical variety: from 3,200-5,000 feet (976-1,525 m) in MT
5,000-6,800 feet (1,525-2,074 m) in UT
SUCCESSIONAL STATUS :
Sagebrush buttercup is most often a constituent of early seral communities.
SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT :
Sagebrush buttercup is a cool-season annual or perennial that flowers
very early [11,12]. It is the 1st flower of spring throughout most of its
range, and has flowered as early as January 5 in the vicinity of Reno, Nevada [2].
Flowering dates are as follows [3]:
Beginning of Flowering End of Flowering
CO April June
MT April July
ND April May
WY April July
UT April July
Growth is generally completed by mid-summer [11].
FIRE ECOLOGY
SPECIES: Ranunculus glaberrimus
FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS :
Little is known about the adaptations of sagebrush buttercup to fire.
It is known to reproduce vegetatively through root sprouting in response
to disturbance [3]. Sagebrush buttercup was present at postfire year 1
on burned plots in western Montana grasslands, although it was absent on
adjacent plots [9].
POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY :
Caudex/herbaceous root crown, growing points in soil
Geophyte, growing points deep in soil
Initial-offsite colonizer (off-site, initial community)
FIRE EFFECTS
SPECIES: Ranunculus glaberrimus
IMMEDIATE FIRE EFFECT ON PLANT :
Sagebrush buttercup flowers very early in the year and disappears before
mid-summer [11]. It therefore is in a dormant state during the time most
fires in the plant communities it inhabits occur. Even when fires
consume the foliage, reestablishment may be fairly rapid through root
sprouting.
DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF FIRE EFFECT :
No further information is available on this topic.
PLANT RESPONSE TO FIRE :
Relatively little is known about the manner in which sagebrush buttercup
responds to fire. Sagebrush buttercup is capable of reproducing
vegetatively when the foliage is consumed by fire [3], and evidence
suggests that reestablishment may be rapid. In a western Montana study,
sagebrush buttercup was present on first-year burn plots in grassland
communities, although absent at adjacent unburned plots [9].
DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF PLANT RESPONSE :
No further information is available on this topic.
FIRE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS :
No further information is available on this topic.
REFERENCES
SPECIES: Ranunculus glaberrimus
REFERENCES :
1. Bernard, Stephen R.; Brown, Kenneth F. 1977. Distribution of mammals,
reptiles, and amphibians by BLM physiographic regions and A.W. Kuchler's
associations for the eleven western states. Tech. Note 301. Denver, CO:
U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management. 169 p.
[434]
2. Dayton, William A. 1960. Notes on western range forbs: Equisetaceae
through Fumariaceae. Agric. Handb. 161. Washington, DC: U.S. Department
of Agriculture, Forest Service. 254 p. [767]
3. Dittberner, Phillip L.; Olson, Michael R. 1983. The plant information
network (PIN) data base: Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, Utah, and
Wyoming. FWS/OBS-83/86. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of the Interior,
Fish and Wildlife Service. 786 p. [806]
4. Eyre, F. H., ed. 1980. Forest cover types of the United States and
Canada. Washington, DC: Society of American Foresters. 148 p. [905]
5. Garrison, George A.; Bjugstad, Ardell J.; Duncan, Don A.; [and others].
1977. Vegetation and environmental features of forest and range
ecosystems. Agric. Handb. 475. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Forest Service. 68 p. [998]
6. Hitchcock, C. Leo; Cronquist, Arthur. 1964. Vascular plants of the
Pacific Northwest. Part 2: Salicaceae to Saxifragaceae. Seattle, WA:
University of Washington Press. 597 p. [1166]
7. Kuchler, A. W. 1964. Manual to accompany the map of potential vegetation
of the conterminous United States. Special Publication No. 36. New York:
American Geographical Society. 77 p. [1384]
8. Lyon, L. Jack; Stickney, Peter F. 1976. Early vegetal succession
following large northern Rocky Mountain wildfires. In: Proceedings, Tall
Timbers fire ecology conference and Intermountain Fire Research Council
fire and land management symposium; 1974 October 8-10; Missoula, MT. No.
14. Tallahassee, FL: Tall Timbers Research Station: 355-373. [1496]
9. Mitchell, William W. 1957. An ecological study of the grasslands in the
region of Missoula, Montana. Missoula, MT: University of Montana. 111 p.
Thesis. [1665]
10. Raunkiaer, C. 1934. The life forms of plants and statistical plant
geography. Oxford: Clarendon Press. 632 p. [2843]
11. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. 1937. Range plant
handbook. Washington, DC. 532 p. [2387]
12. Wambolt, Carl. 1981. Montana range plants: Common and scientific names.
Bulletin 355. Bozeman, MT: Montana State University, Cooperative
Extension Service. 27 p. [2450]
13. Stickney, Peter F. 1989. Seral origin of species originating in northern
Rocky Mountain forests. Unpublished draft on file at: U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station, Fire
Sciences Laboratory, Missoula, MT; RWU 4403 files. 7 p. [20090]
14. Abelson, Philip H. 1991. Improved yields of biomass. Science. 252(5012):
1469. [15573]
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