Ranunculus eschscholtzii
Ranunculaceae
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
- Flower Form: 5-16 petals, many stamens (Ranunculus)
- Life Cycle: Perennial
- Height: 4–10 inches
- Habitat: Alpine, Subalpine
- Found In: Crater Lake NP, Mt. Rainier NP, N Cascades NP, Olympic NP, Steens, Wallowas
- Native: Yes
- Also Known As: Eschscholtz's Buttercup
