Plants distally glabrous or brown-pilose. Stems erect, not bulbous-based, without bulbils. Roots basal, never tuberous. Leaves all basal or basal and cauline, compound or simple and deeply parted; basal leaves petiolate, leaflets parted; cauline leaves (when present) sessile or nearly so, much smaller, otherwise similar to basal leaves. Inflorescences 1-3-flowered cymes. Flowers pedicellate; sepals persistent in fruit, 5; petals 5, red at maturity, sometimes white when young; nectary scale attached on 3 sides, forming pocket that may or may not cover nectary, glabrous, free margin entire; style present. Fruits utricles or winged achenes, 1-locular; fruit body obovoid to flattened-obovoid, 1-2.5 times as wide as thick, not prolonged beyond seed; fruit wall membranous, loose and sometimes inflated, smooth or veined; margin an inconspicuous vein or thin wing; beak much shorter than fruit body.

Distribution

North America, Eurasia.

Discussion

Species 4 (2 in the flora).

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

Ranunculus andersonii, Ranunculus glacialis

Key

1	Sepals brown-pilose; fruit wall smooth, loose but not inflated, winged, fruits thus winged achenes; arctic.	Ranunculus glacialis
1	Sepals glabrous; fruit wall veined, inflated, not winged, fruits thus utricles; Great Basin.	Ranunculus andersonii