Ranunculus occidentalis
R. occidentalis in Anacortes, Washington
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Ranunculales
Family: Ranunculaceae
Genus: Ranunculus
Species:
R. occidentalis
Binomial name
Ranunculus occidentalis

Ranunculus occidentalis, the western buttercup,[1] is a species of buttercup found in the western regions of North America. Its distribution extends from Alaska through British Columbia and Alberta to central California.[1] The flower can be seen in open meadows, forests, and other generally flat areas up to an elevation of 2,200 metres (7,200 ft).[2]

Aleut first nations may have used juice from the plant as a poison,[3] its toxicity arising from the substance protoanemonin.[4] Shasta first nations coincided blooming Ranunculus occidentalis with salmon runs in the summer.[5] The seeds were used to make pinole, a staple food.[6]

This plant is similar to, and sometimes difficult to distinguish from, the California buttercup (Ranunculus californicus).

References

  1. 1 2 USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Ranunculus occidentalis". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  2. "Jepson Manual Treatment for Ranunculus occidentalis". University of California Berkeley Jepson Treaments. Retrieved 2009-06-05.
  3. Flora of North America
  4. Bank, Theodore (1953). "Botanical and ethnobotanical studies in the Aleutian Islands - Health and Medical Lore …". Michigan Academy of Science, Arts and Letters: 428. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  5. Holt, Catharine (1946). "Shasta Ethnography". University of California, Berkeley: 310. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  6. Ethnobotany


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