Table Of ContentWHAT
RANUNCULUS (RANUNCULACEAE)?
GELIDUS
IS
AlanT.Whittemore
&
name
Treatments of Ranunculus in North America have generally used the R. gelidus Karelin Kirilov for a
small buttercup that widespread in arctic and alpine regions of western North America and eastern and
is
&
Whittemore However,
Asia (Benson 1948; Hitchcock Cronquist 1964; Scoggan 1978; 1997). a
central
&
& &
Meacham
Panjabi
number of recent North American publications (Qian Klinka 1998; Kartesz 1999;
name
NRCS under Czerep. This usage
Anderson 2006; Kratz 2007; 2008) treat this species the R. karelinii is
names
and
on grounds. was not published until 1981, three older are
questionable several First, R. karelinii
listed in the synonymy of R. gelidus in North American references (R. grayi Britton 1891, R. verecundus B.L.
Whittemore
Benson Hulten 1968a; 1997).
Robinson ex Piper 1906, and R. ramulosus M.E.Jones 1912; 1948;
Tumokhina
Second, recent Asian references (Ovchinnikov 1937; Baitenov et al. 1961; Voroshilov 1982; 1992;
&
Wang name
Cherepanov Borodina-Grabovskaya 2001; Gilbert 2001) use the R. karelinii for
1995; et
al.
and North America
endemic and specimens from eastern Siberia as R. grayi
a species to Central Asia, treat
name and according IPNI (2008).
superfluous illegitimate to
Britton. Third, the R. karelinii is
names and
This widespread buttercup currently going under three (R. gelidus, R. grayi, R. karelinii}
is
was
an The taxonomy and nomenclature of the species
in recent floristic literature, unsatisfactory situation.
investigated as relates to both the North American species and the type material from central Asia, to
it
name
determine the correct for the species.
NOMENCLATURE
&
homonym
Cherepanov (1981) concluded that Ranunculus gelidus Karelin Kirilov 1842 is an invalid because
However, examination
he that R. gelidus Hoffm. was validated earlier by Reichenbach (1830-33, p. 720).
felt
Reichenbach
makes Hoffm. was not validly published. listed "R.
of this publication clear that R. gelidus
it
names
under forma formatted synonyms elsewhere in the book, not like of
a, like
gelidus Hffgg." R. glacialis
preceded by Hoffmansegg's
other formae in the species (which have a single Latin epithet, not "R."; Fig. 1).
«l»ci»H. ^
B.
4S8*.
Z.
folHs
folioha
tripartite
terna*i*,
-nmltifuiis,
sessiiibus,
onuta
csttlinis
pauciiloro,
ferrufjioeo-lwrgjiii»,
calycii>n«
netalis
squama
nectarii
bveYusima
rotutidatis,
—
Tres inprimia
format
bifida. dis-
X
Hjfgg.
geiidus
«.
tinguo: /?# aJ-
- glacialis foliis 7i.
pcstri ? aljiestris
ortmbus
- -~
reuif -
3 5
co relate partitis,
—
dis obtusis.
gla-
$.
__ ~
3 5 partitis partitionibus
,
o~*rsiuHs incumbentibttS} hue
Linn.
Inpp.
borealis: t. 3. 1.
pi. f.
rjTa*/.
Fl. dan. 19. *t tpsotensi*: —
t.
J
in acq. coll. I. 8. et 9. f.1.2.
t.
par-
extendi*,
cnthmifolius foliis
y. :
kngius triter-
u$ pelioljttiatis
Fi6.1.A.Partofthed<
symbol in the discussion shown in part A.
name
unpublished cannot be validated at the species level by association with Reichenbach's descrip-
its
name
tion of a forma, so the supposed "Ranunculus Hoffmansegg ex Reichenbach" does not
geiidus exist.
&
Ranunculus geiidus Karelin Kirilov is therefore a valid name and is not a superfluous name as concluded by
Cherepanov. The editors of IPNI are correct in concluding that it is R. karelinii Czerep., not R. geiidus Karelin
&
and
Kirilov, that is superfluous illegitimate.
A
second nomenclatural problem with name
associated these species the correct of the section
is to
which the species belongs. North American publications (Benson 1948; Whittemore 1997)
refer to as
it
&
Ranunculus Benson, while some European Akeroyd
sect. Epirotes (Prantl) recent references (Tutin 1993;
Horandl et al. 2005) refer to it as Ranunculus sect. Auricomus Spach. However, Spach (1839, p. 210) published
this taxon at the rank of subgenus, not section, as already noted by Benson (1948). Ranunculus sect. Epirotes
name
is thus the correct for this taxon at the rank of section.
TAXONOMY
North American and east Asian material of this buttercup was considered conspecific with the central Asian
Ranunculus geiidus by Ostenfeld (1909, 44). Benson, in his 1948 monograph of North American Ranunculus,
p.
explicitly stated that he had not seen central Asian material of R. geiidus, and was following Ostenfeld in treat-
ing North American material under this name. In order to evaluate the relationship of the North American
buttercup to the type of R. geiidus, herbarium material from Central Asia (including isotype material of R.
geiidus) was compared with North American material for characters used by Asian authors (Ovchinnikov
&
Wang
1937; Borodina-Grabovskaya et al. 2001; Gilbert 2001) to distinguish R. geiidus from similar
s. str.
species of Ranunculus. Several characters support the distinction of the Central Asian populations which
to
the type of R. geiidus belongs from the North American and east Asian plant.
First, Asian references emphasize trifoliolate leaves with petiolulate leaflets in Ranunculus geiidus
s. str.
North American and
Siberian plants referred to R. geiidus or R. grayi are described as having the leaf
s. lat.
compound Tumokhina
blade 3-parted but not (Benson 1948; Voroshilov 1982; 1992; Whittemore 1997).
Leaf morphology somewhat more variable than the literature suggests, and North American specimens
is
may
rarely have the blade of the basal leaves divided to the base and thus technically compound, but the
leaflets are sessile, a condition not seen in specimens or in published descriptions of central Asian R. geiidus
w
Whittemore, Identity of Ranunculus gelidus
The shape of the leaf segments also differs, with the ultimate segments being oblanceolate to obovate
s. str.
Asian specimens and narrowly oblong or linear in North American specimens. Stem leaves often
in Central
North American
have narrower segments than basal leaves, but they also never have well-defined petiolules in
two
material. The range of variation in the regions is certainly different.
Second, North American and Siberian material that has been assigned to Ranunculus gelidus has the
mm
petals only 3-6 long, scarcely longer than the sepals. Isotype material of R. gelidus and other Central
mm mm &
Wang
Asian specimens, however, have larger petals, 7-9 long (to 10 according to Gilbert 2001),
about twice as long as the sepals.
achenes North American and Siberian material that has been assigned to Ranunculus
Third, the of
gelidus show a morphology similar to most members of Ranunculus sect. Epirotes (Prantl) Benson, with the
beak
beak of the fruit parallel to the long axis of the achene. In Central Asian specimens, however, the is
90°
displaced, originating on the adaxial side of the achene at an angle of ca to the axis of the achene. This
character unusual in the genus, and was emphasized by Ovchinnikov (1937) in erecting Ranunculus cycle
is
and Franch. The unusual insertion of
Ovch. two Central Asian species, R. gelidus R. rufosepalus
Gelidi for
&
China (Wang but well developed on
the achene beak was not mentioned in the Flora of Gilbert 2001), is
MO).
China
plants seen from the very narrow range of the species in (Yunatov et al. 948,
Other characters show considerable overlap, but still seem to show different ranges of variation in Cen-
North American
Asia and North America: thus, Central Asian plants always have solitary flowers, while
tral
material has 1-5 flowers per stem.
wrong
Benson and Whittemore (1997) were in treating
seems then, that Porsild (1943), (1948),
clear,
It
who
North American under name Ranunculus and recent authors have used R. karelinii
the plant the gelidus,
name
The buttercup
on both taxonomic and nomenclatural grounds. correct for this is R.
are incorrect
grayi, as used by Old World (and earlier North American) authors. It is unfortunate that it is necessary to
name
name North American but the change
introduce a third species for these plants to the literature, is
names
North American plants of belonging to a Central
the incorrect application to
:
The taxonomy
following
plants.
l
NORTH
TO RANUNCULUS GELIDUS SENSU FLORA OF AMERICA
r
mm
± 7-9 twice long
flexed so perpendicular to axis of achene. Petals long, ca. as
it is
Ranunculus grayi TorreyBot. Club 18:265. 1891. (Fig. 2 E-H). Ranunculus pedaafidus Hook.,]
Britton, Bull.
The
Amer. 8 1829, not of Smith, Cyclopaedia;
1:18, pi. fig. B. c
Abt. 1:47. 1861,
t. i
mm
Plants erect or decumbent from short caudexes, 3-22 cm. Roots slender, 0.5-1.0 thick. Leaves and stems
glabrous or sparsely spreading-pubescent with long weak hairs, pedicels pubescent or glabrous. Basal leaves
with segments again
cordate or reniform, 0.5-1.8 x 0.8-3.0 cm, 3-parted (rarely 3-foliolate sessile leaflets);
mm
more
lobed, ultimate segments narrowly oblong or linear, 1.5-4 wide. Cauline leaves often larger, deeply
r,Danachene./tom/na//us
.
249
mm,
and with narrower segments. Flowers 1-5 per stem. Sepals 3-5 x 1-4 pubescent or glabrous;
lobed,
mm,
beak
3-6 mm; pubescent. Achenes 1.2-2.4 x 0.8-2.0 glabrous,
x 1-5 receptacle glabrous or
petals
mm,
0.4-0.8 subulate, curved or hooked, parallel to axis of achene.
North
Seepy places in open rocky slopes and meadows, arctic and alpine. Widespread in western
&
Scoggan
America (from Alaska south to Oregon and Colorado; Benson 1948; Hitchcock Cronquist 1964;
Whittemore 1997) and eastern Asiatic Russia (from the Lena Valley and the mountains east of Lake
1978;
Tumokhina Cherepanov
Chukotka Peninsula; Voroshilov 1982; 1992; 1995).
Baikal east to the
Moscou 2 A-D).
Imp. Naturalistes 15:133. 1842. (Fig.
Kirilov, Bull. Soc.
:
Sosud. Rast. SSSR, 425. 1981, nom. superfl. Type: In summis alpibus Alatau ad fontes fl. Lepsa,
iov,
NY
Torrey!)
formatus deliquescentibus, 1841, Karelin et Kiriloff (isotype: -
is
mm
cm <l-2 Leaves (margins and sometimes surfaces), stems,
Plant 15 Roots slender or fleshy, thick.
to tall.
cm
weak 4-10 blade
and spreading-pubescent with long hairs. Basal leaves to long,
pedicels sparsely
petioles
mm mm
again 2-3-parted
7-23 long, 12-25 wide, 3-foliolate, leaflets with well-defined petiolules; leaflets
to
mm
1-3 wide. Cauline leaves similar but
and the parts lobed, ultimate segments oblanceolate to obovate,
mm, weak 7-9
3-5 3-4 spreading-pubescent with long hairs; petals x
Flowers Sepals x
shorter. solitary.
mm,
4.5-9 mm; pubescent. Achenes glabrous, 2.3 x 1.2 very strongly asymmetrical (ventricose),
receptacle
mm
beak 0.4 long, straight, inflexed so that it is ± perpendicular to axis of achene.
on and where watered by snowmelt. Endemic to the Jungarskiy Alatau and
Alpine areas stony soil talus
&
(Wang
and China Gilbert 2001).
Kazakhstan (Cherepanov 1995) Xinjiang,
Tien Shan, Central Asia:
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
would thank ALA, CAS, COLO, GH, MO, NY, UC, and US for providing specimen
the curators of
like to
I
on specimens
work information in
their herbaria, or
loans, facilities for at
Dave Murray and Bruce Ford provided useful
helpful discussions. c
for
ther
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