Ranunculus sect. Batrachium de Candolle, Syst. Nat. 1: 233. 1817; Batrachium (de Candolle) Gray

Plants glabrous (or sheathing leaf bases sometimes pubescent). Stems creeping or floating, not bulbous-based, without bulbils. Roots nodal, never tuberous. Leaves cauline, either simple and laminate (with expanded blade), or completely dissected into filiform segments, or with proximal leaves filiform-dissected and distal leaves laminate; laminate leaves petiolate, undivided or 3-parted, segments entire to shallowly cleft and crenate; filiform-dissected leaves petiolate or sessile. Inflorescences axillary, solitary flowers. Flowers pedicellate; sepals deciduous soon after anthesis, 5; petals 5, white or white with yellow claws; nectary scale attached on 3 sides, forming ridge or shallow pocket not covering nectary, glabrous, free margin entire; style present. Fruits achenes, 1-locular; achene body ellipsoid or flattened-ellipsoid, 1-2 times as wide as thick, not prolonged beyond seed; wall thick, with coarse transverse ridges; margin low narrow ridge; beak much shorter than achene body.

Species ca. 15 (3 in the flora): widespread except lowland tropics.

Unlike most species of Ranunculus , members of this subgenus are not poisonous.

Lower Taxa

• Ranunculus aquatilis var. aquatilis
• Ranunculus aquatilis var. diffusus Withering
• Ranunculus hederaceus Linnaeus
• Ranunculus lobbii (Hiern) A. Gray