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2a.1. Ranunculus Sect. Echinella de Candolle, Prodr. 1: 41. 1824.
Plants pubescent or glabrous. Stems erect or decumbent, not bulbous-based, without bulbils. Roots basal, never tuberous. Leaves basal and cauline or sometimes only cauline; basal and lower cauline leaves similar, petiolate, blades undivided, lobed, or compound, segments lobed or unlobed, margins entire or dentate. Inflorescences 2-16-flowered cymes (cymes sometimes sympodial, then flowers seemingly inserted opposite bracts). Flowers pedicellate (sessile in R . platensis ); sepals deciduous soon after anthesis, 5 (3 in R . platensis ); petals yellow (sometimes absent in R . hebecarpus ); nectary scale attached basally, free from petal for at least 1/2 its length, forming flap covering nectary, glabrous, free margin entire; style present. Fruits achenes, 1-locular; achene body discoid, strongly flattened, 3-7 times as wide as thick, not prolonged beyond seed; wall thick, spiny, tuberculate, or papillose (sometimes smooth in R . sardous ); margin low or high, broad or narrow ridge; beak much shorter than achene body.
Species ca. 15 (8 in the flora): worldwide except lowland tropics.
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| 1 |
Petals 1–2 mm; achenes finely papillose, papillae terminating in slender hooked hairs or spines; native or introduced. |
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(2) |
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Petals 4–10 mm; achenes coarsely papillose, tuberculate, or spinose, rarely smooth; introduced weeds. |
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(4) |
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| 2 (1) |
Flowers sessile; sepals 3. |
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27 Ranunculus platensis |
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Flowers pedicellate; sepals 5. |
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(3) |
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| 3 (2) |
Achenes ornamented on faces and margin, with lanceolate beaks; native of Pacific Slope. |
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25 Ranunculus hebecarpus |
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Achenes ornamented on faces but not margin, with deltate beaks; introduced weed, widespread in North America. |
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26 Ranunculus parviflorus |
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| 4 (1) |
Sepals spreading; achenes 5–9 in single whorl, the faces and margin long-spinose. |
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24 Ranunculus arvensis |
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Sepals reflexed; achenes 10–60 in ovoid or globose heads, the faces papillose to spinose or rarely smooth, margin smooth. |
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(5) |
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| 5 (4) |
Basal leaves compound; achene beak 0.3–0.7 mm. |
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(6) |
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Basal leaves simple; achene beak 1–2.5 mm. |
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(7) |
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| 6 (5) |
Achene faces sparsely papillate or sometimes smooth; petals more than 5 mm. |
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20 Ranunculus sardous |
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Achene faces densely tuberculate; petals less than 5mm. |
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21 Ranunculus trilobus |
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| 7 (5) |
Achene faces but not margin covered with long spines; beaks 2– 2.5 mm. |
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22 Ranunculus muricatus |
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Achene faces but not margin covered with high sharp tubercles or low spines; beaks ca. 1 mm. |
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23 Ranunculus marginatus |
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