Ranunculus abortivus (Kidney-leaved buttercup)

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Ranunculus abortivus L.

Kidney-leaved buttercup, kidney-leaved crowfoot, little-leaf buttercup, kidney-leaved cr

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
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

About plant names...

This species prefers partial shade, and reasonably fertile soil. It is native to most of North America. It is found in woods, meadows, fields, and clearings.

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.

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

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

Here are some similar-looking species:

	You are here Ranunculus abortivus	*Ranunculus recurvatus*
Common Name	kidney-leaved buttercup	hooked crowfoot
Plant	Up to 24" (60 cm) in height.	6-24" (15-60 cm) in height, with erect, *hairy*, branched stems.
Flowers	Yellow star-shaped flowers in groups of 1-3, on individual stalks at stem tips. Each flower is ¼" (6.3 mm) around. Appear Apr-Jul.	Haphazard-looking clusters of *2-16* yellow flowers, on bare individual stalks at stem tips. Each flower is about ¼" (7.6 mm) around. Flowers appear May-Jun.
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.	Lower leaves are ½-4" (1.3-10 cm), alternate, *lobed and deeply divided into 3 or 5 parts*. Upper leaves are similar, becoming smaller and thinner. Leaves are medium to dark green and hairless, and leaf tips are coarsely toothed or crenate.
Fruit	Fruits are insignificant, ¹/₃₂-¹/₁₆" (1.4-1.6 mm) in size, ripening to shiny brown.	Each flower expands into a rounded seed head ~¹/₁₆" (1.6-2.2 mm) around, a dense cluster of seeds, each with a *tiny velco-like hook*, hence the name crowfoot. The seeds blacken as they mature.
Range/ Zones
Habitats	Woods, meadows, fields, and clearings.	Woods, edges of swamps, or floodplains.
Type	Wild	Wild