Perennial with a slender, subvertical or creeping, elongated, rootstock base covered by dark brown fibrous remains of old leaves, roots fibrous. Stem usually simple, rarely 2, simple, erect or ascending, often flaccid, glabrous below, with a few short hair above. Basal leaves with fairly long petioles, blade 12-28 x 20-40 mm, much wider than long, obliquely tru ncate towards the base, ternate or tripartite to near base, segments obovate or broadly obovate, tru ncate, palmatilobate with oblong, rounded lobes or crenate, glabrous. Stem leaves 1-2, shortly petiolate or sessile, tripartite with narrowly obovate tru ncate, 2-3-palmatilobate segments or 3-5-palmatipartite with entire segments. Peduncle loosely brownish hairy towards flower. Flower solitary, 24-30 mm in diameter, yellow. Sepals 7-8 mm, broadly elliptical, rounded, or elliptic-lanceolate, acutish, with a broad pellucid margin, sometimes reddish, with hairs, turning intense yellow when dry. Petals broadly obovate, margin ± wavy or obcordate. Achenes 1-1.2 mm, broadly elliptical, somewhat compressed, indistinctly or distinctly bordered, arranged in a globose to globose-ovoid head, inserted in an ellipsoidal, glabrous receptacle. Style short, appressed to the carpel, sometimes shortly hooked at apex.

Fl. Per.: May-June.

Type: Kashmir, Distr., Dras: in montis Marpo La, in Latere ad septentriones versus, 4570-4730 m, inter rupes et glareosis, 9 Aug. 1946, R.R. Stewart & E. Nasir 22272 (Kl, Iso. RAW!).

Distribution: Baltistan, endemic.

Ranunculus stewartii is closely related to Ranunculus glacialiformis, but is unique in h aving obliquely tru ncate, not cordate leaves, and the largest flowers known in the whole group.