Ranunculus acaulis Banks & Sol. ex DC.
sand buttercup
Perennial; rosettes tufted along pale, spreading, slender rhizomes. Lvs long-petiolate; lamina 3-foliolate or deeply 3-lobed, fleshy, glabrous, 1-2-(3) cm diam.; terminal lobe usually 3-fid, rounded to obtuse at apex, lateral lobes entire or with 1 basiscopic lobe. Fls solitary, 5-10 mm diam.; peduncles glabrous. Sepals spreading, glabrous. Petals 5-8, yellow, spathulate; nectary single, 1.5-2 mm from petal base, pocket-like. Receptacle glabrous. Achenes 10-30, not flattened, glabrous; body 2-3 mm long; beak straight, 0.5-1 mm long.
N.; S.; St.; Ch.; A.
Also indigenous to S. Chile and the Falkland Is.
Coastal sands, inland in some sandy localities (Lake Rotorua, Tarawera, Taupo).
R. petriei is included here as a synonym of R. acaulis.
