Ranunculaceae

Ranunculus eschscholtzii

Snowpatch Buttercup

Tuft with upright flower stem, hairless. Stem solid, erect. Leaves round to heart-shaped in basal cluster, divided 2 times into 3 segments with rounded lobes, the middle lobe entire to shallowly lobed. Flowers luminous yellow, 1–3, each about 1 1/2 in. across top, on short stalks. Grows in rocky gravelly soils at edge of snowmelt or other wet cool places in subalpine and alpine. Very similar R. suksdorfii, often treated as a variety of R. eschscholtzii, has leaves with sharply pointed, deeply toothed lobes, the middle lobe of lower leaves usually deeply divided into 3-7 lobes, more common in the same habitat in the southern part of our region.

• Rarity: Rare
• Flowering Time: Mid Summer
• Life Cycle: Perennial
• Height: 4--10 inches
• Habitat: Alpine, Subalpine
• Found In: Steens, Wallowas, Olympic Np, N Cascades Np, Crater Lake Np, Mt. Rainier Np
• Native: Yes