Native & Naturalized Plants of the Carolinas & Georgia

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3215

Forb
Annual

Native to the Carolinas & Georgia

Documented growing wild in GA NC SC

Common (uncommon in GA-NC Mountains, rare in SC Mountains)

Look for it in marshes, ditches, other wet habitats, per Weakley's Flora

map
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LEAVES:
Simple
Basal & alternate

FLOWER:
Spring/Summer
Yellow
Bisexual
Radially symmetrical
3-5 sepals
1-3(5) petals, about as long as the sepals
Numerous stamens
Superior ovary
Flowers solitary in leaf axils

FRUIT:
Spring/Summer
Brownish
Aggregate of achenes

 

TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!



Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Ranunculales

WEAKLEY'S FLORA (11/30/12):
 Ranunculus pusillus   FAMILY Ranunculaceae

INCLUDING PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
 Ranunculus pusillus var. pusillus   FAMILY Ranunculaceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 076-13-008:
 Ranunculus pusillus   FAMILY Ranunculaceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933)
 Ranunculus pusillus

 

COMMON NAME:
 Low Spearwort

Click or hover over the thumbnails to see larger pictures.

image of Ranunculus pusillus, Low Spearwort

JK Marlow    jkm160326_086

March    Laurens County    SC

Petals 1-3(-5), 1-2 mm long, about as long as the sepals, per Weakley's Flora (2015).

image of Ranunculus pusillus, Low Spearwort

JK Marlow    jkm160326_088

March    Laurens County    SC

Linear cauline leaves, per Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains.

image of Ranunculus pusillus, Low Spearwort

JK Marlow    jkm160326_089

March    Laurens County    SC

image of Ranunculus pusillus, Low Spearwort

JK Marlow    jkm160326_139

March    Laurens County    SC

Small ovate basal leaves, per Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians.