Ranunculus glacialis L.

Nomenclature and Taxonomy

Ranunculus glacialis, commonly known as glacier buttercup or glacier crowfoot, is a species in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae.

Growth Form and Size

It is a perennial herb that grows 5 to 10 centimeters tall, and may reach up to 20 centimeters in height.

Flower Size

It often produces a single, relatively large flower that measures between 1.8 and 3.8 centimeters across.

Petal Characteristics

The flower has 5 petals that are initially white, and later turn pink or reddish.

Sepal Characteristics

The undersides of its 5 sepals are covered in dense brown hairs.

Leaf Morphology

Its leaves are fleshy, shiny, deeply lobed, and divided into 3 leaflets.

Cytology

Analysis of plant material from Greenland has found that this species is diploid with a chromosome number of 2n = 16.

Species Distribution Type

Ranunculus glacialis is an Arctic-alpine species.

European Mountain Distribution

Its distribution includes the high mountains of southern Europe, specifically the Alps, Pyrenees, Carpathians, and Sierra Nevada.

Northern Distribution

It also grows on the Scandinavian peninsula, in Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Jan Mayen, Svalbard, eastern Greenland, and Finland.

Conservation Status in Finland

In Finland, the species is classified as endangered and is protected.

Elevation Range

It is recorded as one of the plant species that grows at the highest elevations in the Alps, and can flower at altitudes over 4,000 meters.

Habitat

It typically grows in fell-field and snow-bed sites, on the edges of meltwater streams.