BC Conservation Data Centre: Species Summary
Ranunculus alismifolius var. alismifolius
water-plantain buttercup
| Scientific Name: | Ranunculus alismifolius var. alismifolius | ||||||||||
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| English Name: | water-plantain buttercup | ||||||||||
| Classification / Taxonomy | |||||||||||
| Scientific Name - Concept Reference: | Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 1997. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 3. Magnoliophyta: Magnoliidae and Hamamelidae. Oxford Univ. Press, New York. xxiii + 590 pp. | ||||||||||
| Classification Level: | Variety | ||||||||||
| Species Group: | Vascular Plant | ||||||||||
| Species Code: | RANUALI1 | ||||||||||
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| Conservation Status / Legal Designation | |||||||||||
| Global Status: | G5T5 (Jun 1995) | ||||||||||
| Provincial Status: | S1 (Apr 2019) | ||||||||||
| BC List: | Red | ||||||||||
| Provincial FRPA list: | |||||||||||
| Provincial Wildlife Act: | |||||||||||
| COSEWIC Status: | Endangered (Apr 2009) | ||||||||||
| SARA Schedule: | 1 - Endangered (Jun 2003) | ||||||||||
| General Status Canada: | |||||||||||
| Ecology & Life History | |||||||||||
| General Description: | |||||||||||
| Technical Description: | |||||||||||
| Subspecies Comments: | Ranunculus alismifolius var. alismifolius is the only variety of this species (there are five in total) that occurs in British Columbia. | ||||||||||
| Identification Comments: | Ranunculus alismifolius var. alismifolius is a perennial that grows from fibrous to slightly tuberous-based, non-tomentose roots. Stems are erect, 30-60 cm tall, somewhat hollow, and not rooting at the nodes. Basal leaves are simple, broadly lanceolate or ovate, often toothed, 4-12 cm long, mostly 1-3 cm wide, and usually have narrowed to distinct petioles. Cauline leaves are simple, alternate or opposite, entire, linear to narrowly lanceolate, and short-petiolate to sessile in the inflorescence. Flowers are yellow, and there are 5 petals, each 8-10 mm long. Sepals are 5, solitary, and terminal at the ends of stalks. Fruit smooth, usually glabrous, achenes 10-60 with straight, stout beaks. | ||||||||||
| Similar Species: | Ranunculus alismifolius var. alismifolius is distinguished from most of the other Ranunculus species in B.C. by its simple, lanceolate leaves. R. flammula and R. glaberrimus also have lanceolate leaves, but the former is a much smaller, prostrate plant; the latter always has some deeply 3-lobed leaves. R. cymbalaria also has simple leaves, but they are cordate and deeply crenate-toothed to shallowly 3-lobed at the tips. R. alismifolius var. alismifolius is the tallest of the five varieties. It usually has toothed leaves; the other varieties always have entire leaves. The basal leaves of R. alismifolius var. alismifolius superficially resemble those of Plantago lanceolata. After flowering, the foliage of R. alismifolius var. alismifolius turns a distinctive and conspicuous yellow-green. | ||||||||||
| Provincial Reproduction Comments: | Each head is estimated to produce 30-50 achenes. Because Ranunculus alismifolius var. alismifolius does not appear to reproduce by other means, seed production is likely critically important to the maintenance of the taxon and for its dispersal into new habitats. | ||||||||||
| Provincial Ecology Comments: | Historically, the habitat of Ranunculus alismifolius var. alismifolius was maintained by Aboriginal burning practices, which probably were implemented on an annual basis. In the absence of burning, invading woody plants and exotic grasses and herbs may be shading out R. alismifolius var. alismifolius, competing for resources, or preventing the recruitment of seedlings needed for population maintenance. The taxon needs high light levels and warm, moist conditions in spring in order to thrive. Its bright yellow flowers and presence of a pocket-like nectary gland indicate that insects are its principal pollinators. Studies show that the flowers of other species of Ranunculus are visited by a wide variety of insects including bees, flies, butterflies, beetles, and ants. The size and shape of the achenes indicate that dispersal is probably facilitated by birds and small animals. | ||||||||||
| Habitats: (Type / Subtype / Dependence) |
Grassland/Shrub / Meadow / Facultative - frequent use
Other Unique Habitats / Garry Oak Vernal Pool / Facultative - frequent use Other Unique Habitats / Vernal Pools/Seasonal Seeps / Facultative - frequent use Stream/River / Stream/River / Facultative - occasional use Wetland / Bog / Facultative - occasional use |
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| Provincial Habitat Comments: | Ranunculus alismifolius var. alismifolius is restricted to open, seasonally flooded to seasonally moist, often muddy depressions that dry out in summer. These habitats occur in Quercus garryana woodland and meadow habitats, which in B.C. are found only on southeastern Vancouver Island. Soils are deep to shallow brunisols, and sites are dotted with rock outcrops. Other forbs present on these sites include Triteleia hyacinthina, Ranunculus occidentalis, Camassia quamash, Plantago lanceolata, and Potentilla spp., but most habitats tend to be dominated by exotic grasses such as Dactylis glomerata, Anthoxanthum odoratum, and several species of Bromus. Some stands have dense shrub layers, particularly of Symphoricarpos albus and Cytisus scoparius, which effectively shade out many herbaceous species. The composition and structure of oak woodland and meadow habitat is changing due largely to the encroachment of introduced shrubs and grasses in the absence of fire. | ||||||||||
| Provincial Phenology: (1st half of month/ 2nd half of month) |
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| Provincial Phenology Comments: | Vegetative growth of Ranunculus alismifolius var. alismifolius occurs in muddy areas in early spring, and flowers emerge in April and May. Seeds mature in June. In July, drought causes senescence, and plants remain dormant until the following year. | ||||||||||
| Elevation (m) (min / max): | Provincial: 0 / 500 | ||||||||||
| Known Pests: | |||||||||||
| Pollen Vector: | |||||||||||
| Pollinator: | |||||||||||
| Dispersal: | |||||||||||
| Provincial Inventory | |||||||||||
| Inventory Priority: | |||||||||||
| Ownership of occurrences (Known locations): | Mostly local government | ||||||||||
| Inventory Need: | Seasonally flooded to seasonally saturated depressions throughout oak woodland areas of southeastern Vancouver Island need to be inventoried for Ranunculus alismifolius var. alismifolius. It is possible that other populations of the taxon have not yet been discovered in the region. Oak habitats around the edges of settled areas need to be surveyed because they generally have not been subjected to intense agricultural and urban development. Ongoing housing and commercial development throughout southeastern Vancouver Island make native oak woodlands a rare commodity. Loss of these habitats severely limits the availability of suitable sites for establishment or restoration of R. alismifolius var. alismifolius. | ||||||||||
| Inventory Comments: | The only inventories for Ranunculus alismifolius var. alismifolius were done between 1991 and 1994. | ||||||||||
| Economic Attributes | |||||||||||
| Provincial Economic Comments: | No commercial or traditional uses are known for this species. This variety is known to cause dermatitis in humans, and it is considered toxic to livestock. | ||||||||||
| Distribution | |||||||||||
| Endemic: | N | ||||||||||
| Disjunct, more common elsewhere: | N | ||||||||||
| Peripheral, major distribution elsewhere: | Y | ||||||||||
| Authors / Contributors | |||||||||||
| Global Information Author: | |||||||||||
| Last Updated: | |||||||||||
| Provincial Information Author: | Christy, J.A. | ||||||||||
| Last Updated: | Jan 15, 2005 | ||||||||||
| Last Literature Search: | |||||||||||
| References and Related Literature | |||||||||||
B.C. Ministry of Environment. Recovery Planning in BC. B.C. Minist. Environ. Victoria, BC. |
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Brayshaw, T.C. 1989. Buttercups, Waterlilies and their Relatives in British Columbia. Royal B.C. Mus. Mem. No. 1. 262pp. |
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Douglas, G.W., and J.M. Illingworth. 1998. Status of the Water-plantain Buttercup, Ranunculus alismifolius var alismifolius (Ranunculaceae) in Canada. Can. Field-Nat. 112(2):280-283. |
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Douglas, G.W., D. Meidinger, and J. Penny. 2002. Rare Native Vascular Plants of British Columbia, 2nd ed. B.C. Conserv. Data Centre, Terrestrial Inf. Branch, Victoria. 358pp. |
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Douglas, G.W., D. Meidinger, and J. Pojar, eds. 1999. Illustrated Flora of British Columbia, Vol. 4, Dicotyledons (Orobanchaceae through Rubiaceae). B.C. Minist. Environ., Lands and Parks, and B.C. Minist. For., Victoria. 427pp. |
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Illingworth, J.M., and G.W. Douglas. 1996. Status Report on Water-plantain Buttercup, Ranunculus alismaefolius var. alismaefolius, in Canada. Unpubl. rep. submitted to the Comm. on the Status of Endangered Wildl. in Can. Ottawa. 24pp. |
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Illingworth, J.M., and G.W. Douglas. 1999. Status of Water Plantain Buttercup in British Columbia. B.C. Minist. Environ., Lands and Parks, Wildl. Branch. Bull. B-95. 24pp. |
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Please visit the website Conservation Status Ranks for definitions of the data fields used in this summary report.
Suggested Citation:
B.C. Conservation Data Centre. Species Summary: Ranunculus alismifolius var. alismifolius. B.C. Minist. of Environment. Available: https://a100.gov.bc.ca/pub/eswp/ (accessed Jun 8, 2026).