Ranunculus aestivalis is a rare species of buttercup known by the common names fall buttercup and autumn buttercup. It is endemic to the state of Utah in the United States, where it exists only in Garfield County next to the Sevier River.Ranunculus aestivalis. Center for Plant Conservation. It is restricted to a moist microhabitat in an otherwise dry, open ecosystem, and the amount of available habitat is very limited.Ranunculus aestivalis. The Nature Conservancy. This is a federally listed endangered species of the United States. It has been described as "the most graceful and showy members of the genus in the western United States," but also "one of the state's rarest and most restricted plants." This plant is often treated as a variety of Ranunculus acriformisRanunculus acriformis var. aestivalis. Flora of North America. or Ranunculus acris. A genetic analysis study showed it to be sufficiently separate and it was elevated to species status by one group of authors in 1994.Van Buren, R., et al. (1994). Evaluating the relationship of autumn buttercup (Ranunculus acriformis var. aestivalis) to some close congeners using random amplified polymorphic DNA. Am J Bot 81(4) 514-19.
No narrative description available for this taxon yet.
