Plantainleaf Buttercup

Left image
Close up of yellow Plantainleaf Buttercup flower.

Right image
Cluster of Plantainleaf Buttercup flowers.

Plantainleaf Buttercup - Ranunculus alismifolius

One of the first species to flower after the snow melts, this perennial Buttercup species turns the wet, marshy bottoms of drainages bright butter-yellow.

It should not be confused with the more orange-yellow flowered Groundsel (Senecio species) that also produces solid patches of color on better-drained slopes above the Buttercup. While there are several species of Buttercup found in the Monument, this is the only one with 10 petals and undivided leaves.

This species is common at higher elevations throughout the western U. S. and Canada. Many species that grow at high elevations form their flower buds the previous year so that they can quickly come into flower as soon as the snow melts. This gives them time to mature their seeds before the end of the brief summer.