Introductory
SPECIES: Ranunculus glaberrimus | Sagebrush Buttercup 



ABBREVIATION : 
RANGLA

SYNONYMS : 
   Ranunculus austinae Greene
   Ranunculus ellipticus Greene


SCS PLANT CODE : 
   RAGL


COMMON NAMES : 
   sagebrush buttercup
   shiny-leaved buttercup


TAXONOMY : 
The fully documented scientific species name is Ranunculus glaberrimus
Hook.  Recognized varieties are as follows [6]:

     Ranunculus glaberrimus var. ellipticus Greene
     Ranunculus glaberrimus var. glaberrimus


LIFE FORM : 
Forb

FEDERAL LEGAL STATUS : 
No special status

OTHER STATUS : 
NO-ENTRY


COMPILED BY AND DATE : 
D. Tirmenstein, December 1986


LAST REVISED BY AND DATE : 
D. Tirmenstein, January 1988


AUTHORSHIP AND CITATION : 
NO-ENTRY

DISTRIBUTION AND OCCURRENCE
SPECIES: Ranunculus glaberrimus | Sagebrush Buttercup 



GENERAL DISTRIBUTION : 
Sagebrush buttercup is distributed from British Columbia to northern
California eastward to western Montana, Colorado, Nebraska and the
Dakotas, and southward to Arizona and New Mexico [2,6].


ECOSYSTEMS : 
   FRES15  Oak - hickory
   FRES20  Douglas-fir
   FRES21  Ponderosa pine
   FRES23  Fir - spruce
   FRES29  Sagebrush
   FRES30  Desert shrub
   FRES34  Chaparral - mountain shrub
   FRES35  Pinyon - juniper
   FRES36  Mountain grasslands
   FRES38  Plains grasslands
   FRES39  Prairie
   FRES40  Desert grasslands


STATES : 
     AZ  CA  CO  MT  NE  NV  NM  ND  SD  UT
     WY  BC


ADMINISTRATIVE UNITS : 
     BLCA  CODA  CRMO  DINO  FOBU  GLAC
     GRTE  JODA  LABE  NOCA  ROMO  THRO
     WICA  YELL


BLM PHYSIOGRAPHIC REGIONS : 
    2  Cascade Mountains
    4  Sierra Mountains
    6  Upper Basin and Range
    7  Lower Basin and Range
    8  Northern Rocky Mountains
    9  Middle Rocky Mountains
   10  Wyoming Basin
   11  Southern Rocky Mountains
   12  Colorado Plateau
   13  Rocky Mountain Piedmont
   14  Great Plains
   15  Black Hills Uplift
   16  Upper Missouri Basin and Broken Lands


KUCHLER PLANT ASSOCIATIONS : 
   K011  Western ponderosa forest
   K012  Douglas-fir forest
   K015  Western spruce - fir forest
   K018  Pine - Douglas-fir forest
   K019  Arizona pine forest
   K020  Spruce - fir - Douglas-fir forest
   K021  Southwestern spruce - fir forest
   K023  Juniper - pinyon woodland
   K037  Mountain-mahogany - oak scrub
   K038  Great Basin sagebrush
   K040  Saltbush - greasewood
   K051  Wheatgrass - bluegrass
   K055  Sagebrush steppe
   K056  Wheatgrass - needlegrass shrubsteppe
   K057  Galleta - threeawn shrubsteppe
   K064  Grama - needlegrass - wheatgrass
   K066  Wheatgrass - needlegrass
   K067  Wheatgrass - bluestem - needlegrass
   K074  Bluestem prairie
   K081  Oak savanna


SAF COVER TYPES : 
   206  Engelmann spruce - subalpine fir
   210  Interior Douglas-fir
   211  White fir
   216  Blue spruce
   237  Interior ponderosa pine
   239  Pinyon - juniper
   247  Jeffrey pine


SRM (RANGELAND) COVER TYPES : 
NO-ENTRY


HABITAT TYPES AND PLANT COMMUNITIES : 
Sagebrush buttercup is common throughout many habitat types and plant
communities.  It is present in a number of ponderosa pine (Pinus
ponderosa), spruce-fir, Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesia), and
pinyon-juniper habitat types, as well as in sagebrush grassland and
shrubland communities.

VALUE AND USE
SPECIES: Ranunculus glaberrimus | Sagebrush Buttercup 



WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE : 
NO-ENTRY


IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE : 
Sagebrush buttercup is primarily used by wildlife species early in the
year because palatability decreases as the plant matures [11].  Deer and
elk feed on sagebrush buttercup in the early spring before other, more
preferred forage species become available [2].

Domestic livestock also utilize sagebrush buttercup during the early
spring, although the plant is usually gone before these animals reach
the range [11].  All species of Ranuculus are reported to have an "acrid
taste" and, depending on the species, plant part, and season, may
actually be toxic to cattle and horses [11].  The toxic substances are
volatile, however, and are dissipated during the drying process, which
renders them harmless in hay [11].

Due to its small stature, prostrate growth form, and patchy
distribution, sagebrush buttercup provides little cover for wildlife.


PALATABILITY : 
Palatability of sagebrush buttercup is highest in the early spring and
decreases until the plant disappears from the range in midsummer [11].
The palatability and degree of use by livestock and wildlife species for
sagebrush buttercup (var. ellipticus) in several western states has been
rated as follows [3]:  

                      CO       MT       ND       UT       WY
Cattle               Poor     Poor     Poor     Fair     Poor
Sheep                Poor     Fair     Fair     Fair     Fair
Horses               Poor     Poor     Poor     Poor     Poor
Pronghorn            ----     Good     ----     Poor     ----
Elk                  ----     Fair     ----     Fair     ----
Mule deer            ----     Fair     ----     Fair     ----
Small mammals        ----     ----     ----     Fair     Fair
Small nongame birds  ----     Fair     ----     Poor     ----
Upland game birds    ----     Good     ----     Fair     Fair
Waterfowl            ----     ----     ----     Fair     Poor


NUTRITIONAL VALUE : 
Sagebrush buttercup (R. g. var. ellipticus) is rated fair in energy and
protein value [3].


COVER VALUE : 
NO-ENTRY


VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES : 
Sagebrush buttercup has low potential for erosion control and for long-
and short-term revegetation projects [3].


OTHER USES AND VALUES : 
NO-ENTRY


MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
NO-ENTRY

BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
SPECIES: Ranunculus glaberrimus | Sagebrush Buttercup 



GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS : 
Sagebrush buttercup is a native, cool-season annual or perennial forb
which grows from 2 to 6 inches (5.1-15 cm) in height [11,12].  The stem
or more commonly stems are erect to prostrate, 2 to 8 inches (5-20 cm)
long, and simple or branched [6].  Sagebrush buttercup grows from a
cluster of fleshy roots [6]; broad basal leaves are rounded or ovate,
with margins indented to form few to many shallow lobes [11].  Var.
ellipticus has entire, elliptic to oblanceolate basal leaves, whereas
var. glaberrimus more typically has ovate to obovate, shallowly lobed
basal leaves [6].  The five sepals are most commonly purplish-tinged;
cuneate to flabellate petals also grow in groups of five and are yellow
[6].


RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM : 
   Chamaephyte


REGENERATION PROCESSES : 
Sagebrush buttercup regenerates sexually through numerous beaked seeds
or achenes and vegetatively through root sprouting [3,11].  From 30 to
150 seeds are contained in each semiglobose cluster at the top of the
flower stalk [6].


SITE CHARACTERISTICS : 
Sagebrush buttercup is fairly widespread throughout its range and occurs
in a number of plant communities from sagebrush-grassland to higher
elevation montane sites.  Var. glaberrimus grows on drier sites and at
lower elevations than does var. ellipticus [2].  Var. glaberrimus most
commonly grows in lowland valleys in sagebrush and grassland plant
communities or in parks or open woodlands [2,6].  Var. ellipticus occurs
on upper sagebrush slopes and at higher elevations with juniper
(Juniperus spp.), ponderosa pine, Jeffrey pine (Pinus jeffreyi), spruce
(Picea spp.), and fir (Abies spp.) [2,6].

Sagebrush buttercup typically grows on sandy or loamy soils [2].  Growth
on clay is described as fair to good, and growth on gravel as fair to
poor [3].  Optimum soil depth is 20 inches (51 cm) or more [3].

Elevational ranges of both varieties are as follows [3]:

R. g. var. ellipticus:  from 5,000-10,000 feet (1,525-3,050 m) in CO
                       3,200-9,000 feet (976-2,745 m) in MT   
                       5,500-9,000 feet (1,678-2,745 m) in UT
                       6,600-11,600 feet (2,013-3,538 m) in WY
          
R. g. var. glaberrimus:  from 3,200-5,000 feet (976-1,525 m) in MT
                        5,000-6,800 feet (1,525-2,074 m) in UT



SUCCESSIONAL STATUS : 
Sagebrush buttercup is most often a constituent of early seral
communities.


SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT : 
Sagebrush buttercup is a cool-season annual or perennial which flowers
very early [11,12].  It is the first flower of spring throughout most of
its range and has flowered as early as January 5 in the vicinity of
Reno, Nevada [2].  Flowering dates are as follows [3]:

         Beginning of Flowering            End of Flowering
  CO            April                            June
  MT            April                            July
  ND            April                            May
  WY            April                            July
  UT            April                            July

Growth is generally completed by midsummer [11].

FIRE ECOLOGY
SPECIES: Ranunculus glaberrimus | Sagebrush Buttercup 



FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS : 
Little is known about the adaptations of sagebrush buttercup to fire.
It is known to reproduce vegetatively through root sprouting in response
to disturbance [3].  Sagebrush buttercup was present at postfire year 1
on burned plots in western Montana grasslands, although it was absent on
adjacent plots [9].


POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY : 
   Caudex, growing points in soil
   Initial-offsite colonizer (off-site, initial community)

FIRE EFFECTS
SPECIES: Ranunculus glaberrimus | Sagebrush Buttercup 



IMMEDIATE FIRE EFFECT ON PLANT : 
Sagebrush buttercup flowers very early in the year and disappears before
midsummer [11].  It therefore is in a dormant state during the time most
fires in the plant communities it inhabits occur.  Even when fires
consume the foliage, reestablishment may be fairly rapid through root
sprouting.


DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF FIRE EFFECT : 
NO-ENTRY


PLANT RESPONSE TO FIRE : 
Relatively little is known about the manner in which sagebrush buttercup
responds to fire.  Sagebrush buttercup is capable of reproducing
vegetatively when the foliage is consumed by fire [3], and evidence
suggests that reestablishment may be rapid.  In a western Montana study,
sagebrush buttercup was present on first-year burn plots in grassland
communities, although absent at adjacent unburned plots [9].


DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF PLANT RESPONSE : 
NO-ENTRY


FIRE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
NO-ENTRY

REFERENCES
SPECIES: Ranunculus glaberrimus | Sagebrush Buttercup 



REFERENCES : 

 .  Bernard, Stephen R.; Brown, Kenneth F. 1977. Distribution of mammals,
       reptiles, and amphibians by BLM physiographic regions and A.W. Kuchler's
       associations for the eleven western states. Tech. Note 301. Denver, CO:
       U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management. 169 p. 
       [434]

 .  Dayton, William A. 1960. Notes on western range forbs: Equisetaceae
       through Fumariaceae. Agric. Handb. 161. Washington, DC: U.S. Department
       of Agriculture, Forest Service. 254 p.  [767]

 .  Dittberner, Phillip L.; Olson, Michael R. 1983. The plant information
       network (PIN) data base: Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, Utah, and
       Wyoming. FWS/OBS-83/86. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of the Interior,
       Fish and Wildlife Service. 786 p.  [806]

 .  Eyre, F. H., ed. 1980. Forest cover types of the United States and
       Canada. Washington, DC: Society of American Foresters. 148 p.  [905]

 .  Garrison, George A.; Bjugstad, Ardell J.; Duncan, Don A.; [and others].
       1977. Vegetation and environmental features of forest and range
       ecosystems. Agric. Handb. 475. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of
       Agriculture, Forest Service. 68 p.  [998]

 .  Hitchcock, C. Leo; Cronquist, Arthur. 1964. Vascular plants of the
       Pacific Northwest. Part 2: Salicaceae to Saxifragaceae. Seattle, WA:
       University of Washington Press. 597 p.  [1166]

 .  Kuchler, A. W. 1964. Manual to accompany the map of potential vegetation
       of the conterminous United States. Special Publication No. 36. New York:
       American Geographical Society. 77 p.  [1384]

 .  Lyon, L. Jack; Stickney, Peter F. 1976. Early vegetal succession
       following large northern Rocky Mountain wildfires. In: Proceedings, Tall
       Timbers fire ecology conference and Intermountain Fire Research Council
       fire and land management symposium; 1974 October 8-10; Missoula, MT. No.
       14. Tallahassee, FL: Tall Timbers Research Station: 355-373.  [1496]

 .  Mitchell, William W. 1957. An ecological study of the grasslands in the
       region of Missoula, Montana. Missoula, MT: University of Montana. 111 p.
       Thesis.  [1665]

.  Raunkiaer, C. 1934. The life forms of plants and statistical plant
       geography. Oxford: Clarendon Press. 632 p.  [2843]

.  U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. 1937. Range plant
       handbook. Washington, DC. 532 p.  [2387]

.  Wambolt, Carl. 1981. Montana range plants: Common and scientific names.
       Bulletin 355. Bozeman, MT: Montana State University, Cooperative
       Extension Service. 27 p.  [2450]

.  Stickney, Peter F. 1989. Seral origin of species originating in northern
       Rocky Mountain forests. Unpublished draft on file at: U.S. Department of
       Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station, Fire
       Sciences Laboratory, Missoula, MT; RWU 4403 files. 7 p.  [20090]

.  Abelson, Philip H. 1991. Improved yields of biomass. Science. 252(5012):
       1469.  [15573]

Related categories for Species: Ranunculus glaberrimus | Sagebrush Buttercup