familyRanunculaceae
genusRanunculus
subgenusRanunculus subg. Ranunculus
sectionRanunculus sect. Ranunculus
speciesRanunculus canus
Ranunculus canus var. ludovicianus
Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 68: 171. 1941.
Endemic
Basionym: Ranunculus ludovicianus Greene Bull. Calif. Acad. Sci. 2: 58. 1886
Synonyms: Ranunculus californicus var. ludovicianus (Greene) K. C. Davis
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 3.
Revision as of 22:11, 16 December 2019 by FNA>Volume Importer
Leaf blades: ultimate segments lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate, margins entire or toothed, apex acute or rounded-acute. Flowers: petals 13-17.
Phenology: Flowering spring–summer (Mar–Aug).
Habitat: Meadows
Elevation: 1000-2300 m
Discussion
Ranunculus canus var. ludovicianus is endemic to the Transverse Ranges of California. Pending further study, I am reluctantly following L. D. Benson's (1948) placement of this taxon. The plants have the floral characters of R. californicus and have often been included in that species. Indeed, forms of R. californicus from the foothills west of the San Joaquin Valley may also have large achenes with deltate beaks. Those plants differ from R. canus var. ludovicianus only in their ovate leaf segments. Further study of the group is much needed.
Selected References
None.
Lower Taxa
None.