Ranunculus glacialis, the glacier buttercup[1] or glacier crowfoot, is a plant of the family Ranunculaceae. It is a 5-10(-20) cm high perennial herb. Often with a single relatively large (1.8 - 3.8 cm) flower, with 5 petals first white later pink or reddish. The underside of the 5 sepals are densely brown-hairy. The leaves are fleshy, shiny, and deeply loped, forming 3 leaflets.[2][3] Ranunculus glacialis is reported (from Greenland material) to have a diploid chromosome number of 2n = 16.[2]
| Ranunculus glacialis | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Ranunculales |
| Family: | Ranunculaceae |
| Genus: | Ranunculus |
| Species: | R. glacialis
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| Binomial name | |
| Ranunculus glacialis | |
| Synonyms | |
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Distribution and habitat
editRanunculus glacialis is an Arctic–alpine species, found in the high mountains of southern Europe (Alps, Pyrenees, Carpathians, Sierra Nevada) as well as on the Scandinavian peninsula, Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Jan Mayen, Svalbard, eastern Greenland[4][5] and Finland, where it is endangered and protected.[6]
It has been described as being one of the highest-ascending plants in the Alps, flowering at over 4,000 m.[7]
It is found in fell-field and snow-bed sites, on edges of meltwater streams.[6]
Subspecies
editSeveral subspecies are described.[8]
One subspecies, Ranunculus glacialis subsp. chamissonis, is found on either side of the Bering Strait in Siberia, Russia and Alaska.
Further reading
edit
- Totland, Ø., & Alatalo, J. M. (2002). Effects of temperature and date of snowmelt on growth, reproduction, and flowering phenology in the arctic/alpine herb, Ranunculus glacialis. Oecologia, 133(2), 168–175. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-002-1028-z
- Wagner, J., Steinacher, G., & Ladinig, U. (2010). Ranunculus glacialis L.: successful reproduction at the altitudinal limits of higher plant life. Protoplasma, 243(1-4), 117–128. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00709-009-0104-1
References
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- ^ a b NRCS. "Ranunculus glacialis". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved September 10, 2013.
- ^ a b Grønlands flora. Tyge Wittrock Böcher (3. reviderede udgave ed.). København: P. Haase & Sons. 1978. ISBN 87-559-0385-1. OCLC 183098604.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link) - ^ Nordens flora. Bo Mossberg, Lennart Stenberg, Jon Feilberg, Anna Torsteinsrud, Victoria Widmark (Nye, udvidede og omarbejdede udgave ed.). Kbh.: Gyldendal. 2020. ISBN 978-87-02-28916-9. OCLC 1158895781.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link) - ^ "Pan-arctic flora: Home". panarcticflora.org. Retrieved 2021-07-28.
- ^ "Ranunculus glacialis L." www.gbif.org. Retrieved 2021-07-28.
- ^ a b "Glacier Buttercup, Ranunculus glacialis - Flowers - NatureGate". luontoportti.com. Retrieved 2021-07-28.
- ^ Wagner, Johanna; Steinacher, Gerlinde; Ladinig, Ursula (July 2010). "Ranunculus glacialis L.: successful reproduction at the altitudinal limits of higher plant life". Protoplasma. 243 (1–4): 117–128. doi:10.1007/s00709-009-0104-1. ISSN 0033-183X. PMID 20140466. S2CID 2460684.
- ^ "International Plant Names Index". www.ipni.org. Retrieved 2021-07-28.
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