Ranunculus abortivus (Kidney-leaved buttercup)

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Ranunculus abortivus L.

Kidney-leaved buttercup, kidney-leaved crowfoot, little-leaf buttercup, small-flower crowfoot, small-flowered buttercup

This species prefers partial shade, and reasonably fertile soil. It is native to most of North America.

Plants: 6–24″ (15–60 cm) in height, with erect, hairless stems.

Leaves: Lower leaves are ½–4″ (1.3–10 cm), and reniform (kidney-shaped), round, or heart-shaped with crenate edges. Upper leaves are alternate, hairless, lanceolate, oblanceolate, or oblong, with smooth edges, deeply and multiply-divided, up to 1½″ (3.8 cm) long and sessile.

Flowers: Rather underwhelming-looking yellow flowers appear in groups of 1-3, on bare individual stalks at stem tips. Each flower is ¼″ (6.3 mm) around. If you look closely at the flower, there are five yellow petals in the shape of a star, five green sepals, a cluster of green carpels, and a ring of stamens with bright yellow anthers. Speaking rather less technically, the flowers are small, boring, and easily missed. They appear Apr-Jul.

Fruits: Insignificant, 1/32–1/16″ (1.4–1.6 mm) in size, ripening to shiny brown.

Habitats: In woods, meadows, fields, and clearings.

Similar species.

Online References:

Illinoiswildflowers.info

Go Botany

Minnesota Wildflowers

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

References:

Clemants, Steven; Gracie, Carol, Wildflowers in the Field and Forest, Oxford University Press, 2006, p. 216

Ranunculus abortivus L. ssp. acrolasius (Fernald) Kapoor & Á. Löve & D. Löve
Ranunculus abortivus L. var. acrolasius Fernald
Ranunculus abortivus L. var. eucyclus Fernald
Ranunculus abortivus L. var. indivisus Fernald
Ranunculus abortivus L. var. typicus Fernald

4/4/2012 · North Central Railroad Trail, End, Phoenix, Maryland · ≈ 6 × 5″ (16 × 13 cm)

6/27/2025 · Butler Head Preserve, Bath, Maine · ≈ 5 × 8″ (13 × 19 cm)

5/11/2016 · Pearl Hill State Park, Ashby, Massachusetts

6/27/2025 · Butler Head Preserve, Bath, Maine · ≈ 5 × 8″ (12 × 19 cm)

5/11/2016 · Pearl Hill State Park, Ashby, Massachusetts

6/21/2017 · Pearl Hill State Park, Townsend, Massachusetts · ≈ 5 × 3½″ (13 × 9.8 cm)

6/21/2017 · Pearl Hill State Park, Townsend, Massachusetts · ≈ 8 × 5″ (20 × 13 cm)

5/11/2016 · Pearl Hill State Park, Ashby, Massachusetts

5/9/2024 · Field Estuary, Freeport, Maine

4/4/2012 · North Central Railroad Trail, End, Phoenix, Maryland · ≈ 6 × 5″ (15 × 13 cm)

4/7/2012 · Ladew Topiary Gardens, Monkton, Maryland · ≈ 8 × 6″ (20 × 14 cm)

5/9/2016 · Wonder Brook Park, Kennebunk Lan, Kennebunk, Maine

4/7/2012 · Ladew Topiary Gardens, Monkton, Maryland · ≈ 8 × 7″ (19 × 17 cm)

5/9/2016 · Wonder Brook Park, Kennebunk Lan, Kennebunk, Maine

5/4/2017 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 6 × 9″ (16 × 22 cm)

5/9/2016 · Wonder Brook Park, Kennebunk Lan, Kennebunk, Maine

5/11/2016 · Pearl Hill State Park, Ashby, Massachusetts

5/9/2024 · Field Estuary, Freeport, Maine

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin)
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Magnoliopsida	Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
Subclass	Magnoliidae	Includes magnolias, nutmeg, bay laurel, cinnamon, avocado, black pepper, and many others
Order	Ranunculales	Basal (evolved earlier) eudicots, also called “true dicots”
Family	Ranunculaceae	Buttercup family
Genus	Ranunculus	From Latin rana, “little frog,” because many species grow in moist places
Species	abortivus	From Latin abortiva: with parts missing, imperfect; producing abortion

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Range:

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Ranunculus abortivus description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.