Stems erect or decumbent from short or long caudices, 4-27 cm, glabrous, each with 1-3 flowers. Roots slender, 0.4-1.6 mm thick. Basal leaves persistent, blades reniform or cordate to obovate or broadly oblong, lobed or 3-parted, 0.5-4.1 × 0.8-3.7 cm, segments again 1 (-2) ×-lobed, base obtuse to cordate, apices of segments rounded in outline. Flowers: pedicels glabrous; receptacle glabrous or sparsely pilose; sepals 4-8 × 2-6 mm, abaxially glabrous or pilose; petals 5-8, 6-16 × 4-16 mm; nectary scale glabrous. Heads of achenes cylindric or ovoid, 5-10 × 4-7 mm; achenes 1.4-2 × 1-1.6 mm, glabrous or sparsely pubescent; beak lanceolate or subulate, straight (sometimes curved when immature), 0.6-1.8 mm.

Distribution

North America

Discussion

Varieties 6 (5 in the flora).

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

Ranunculus eschscholtzii var. eschscholtzii, Ranunculus eschscholtzii var. eximius, Ranunculus eschscholtzii var. oxynotus, Ranunculus eschscholtzii var. suksdorfii, Ranunculus eschscholtzii var. trisectus

Key

1	Ultimate segments and sinuses of basal leaves acute or acuminate.	> 2
1	Ultimate segments and sinuses of basal leaves rounded or obtuse (sometimes broadly rounded-acute).	> 3
2	Leaf blade reniform, base truncate or cordate.	Ranunculus eschscholtzii var. suksdorfii
2	Leaf blade obovate to broadly oblong, base obtuse or rounded.	Ranunculus eschscholtzii var. eximius
3	Middle segments of many basal leaves lobed and toothed or 2×-lobed.	Ranunculus eschscholtzii var. trisectus
3	Middle segments of basal leaves unlobed or 1×-lobed.	> 4
4	Caudices with few or no persistent leaf bases; basal leaves always 3-parted; widespread in w North America.	Ranunculus eschscholtzii var. eschscholtzii
4	Caudices densely clothed with persistent leaf bases; basal leaves sometimes parted but usually merely lobed; California and w Nevada.	Ranunculus eschscholtzii var. oxynotus