• Home
  • ABOUT/FAQs
  • PLANT PORTRAITS
  • PLANT PORTRAITS INDEX – Search By Botanical Name
  • THE PLANT ARCHIVES & MASTER LIST ~ 1991-2022
  • THE TOMATO ARCHIVES ~ 1991 to 2022
  • This & That
  • Welcome!

Hill Farm Nursery

Cariboo-Grown & Cariboo-Hardy Perennials. Since 1991.

Ranunculus glaberrimus – SAGEBRUSH BUTTERCUP

April 23, 2014 by leavesandpages

Spring's first flowers - Sagebrush Buttercups on the Hill Farm hillside, April 16, 2014.

Spring’s first flowers – Sagebrush Buttercups on the Hill Farm hillside, April 16, 2014. Image: HFN

Perennial. Zone 2. Ranunculaceae. Western North America. Interior and subalpine regions of B.C. and Alberta and into Saskatchewan; in the U.S.A. south to New Mexico, and east to North and South Dakota and Nebraska.

As the snow recedes from our river-valley hillsides each spring we eagerly kneel on the snowmelt-soggy ground to check on the state of the sagebrush buttercups. First of the spring flowers by far, blooming as soon as late March, their opening signals the very beginning of the progression of other springtime markers – the first returning Canada geese; the first robins and bluebirds; the appearance of the pollen-dusted catkins of the poplar tress and then the cottonwoods; the first evocative smell of “green” after a spring rainfall; the first day the horses leave their hay piles untouched and instead nuzzle through last autumn’s rustling fallen foliage for those first elusive but oh-so-welcome blades of grass…

We’ve made it through another cold time, for look, here are the buttercups again!

This is a tiny creature, but its cheerful blossoms shine like the sun, and a flourishing colony in full bloom is an amazing sight in late April and early May.

The specific name glaberrimus means “smoothest”, and refers to the foliage: freshly green, gently lobed, and slightly succulent. Purple-flushed flower buds appear on short stems which lengthen as the flowers open to a height of perhaps six inches at the utmost; most are only three or four inches tall. Five-petalled buttercups are typical of their race, being reflectively shiny as to petal surface, with a ring of thick yellow anthers surrounding the protruding cluster of pistils – potential achenes which will mature into ripe seeds in May and June.

Clusters of shallowly anchored, thickened, semi-tuberous roots provide the stored energy for R. glaberrimus‘s early spring flourishing; plants remain green through the entire growing season, and an investigation in autumn reveals the next spring’s buds already formed in the leaf axils at the base of the foliage; ready for emergence after a winter dormancy under the snow.

Enjoy this buttercup on your spring rambles; it is locally abundant throughout the Cariboo-Chilcotin, especially along roadsides through the Fraser River valley’s Douglas fir belt, and in the grasslands around Williams Lake.

Though I have never been tempted to bring this pretty wildflower into my own garden – it is happily abundant on the grassy hillsides of our farm and makes an ideal excuse for many springtime excursions to check on the progression of the colonies’ blooming – I have seen it established in a number of alpine gardens where it thrives generously, for it appears to be a healthy and adaptable plant.

Full sun suits Ranunculus glaberrimus best if its natural habitat is any indication, and it is very drought tolerant once established, though it appreciates springtime moisture.

Though technically Ranunculus glaberrimus has five petals, some populations show a tendency to producing extras, doubling or tripling the modest prototype.

Though technically Ranunculus glaberrimus has five petals, some populations show a tendency to producing extras, doubling or even tripling the modest prototype. Image: HFN

???????????????????????????????

Image: HFN

 

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Like this:

Like Loading...

Related

Posted in Full Sun, Perennial, Spring, Yellow | Tagged Early Spring, Low growing, Ranunculus glaberrimus, Sagebrush Buttercup, Yellow |

  • Header image:

    Viola glabella. YELLOW WOOD VIOLET. Stanley, B.C., June 15, 2019.  Image: HFN

  • Recent Posts

    • Viola jooi – TRANSYLVANIAN VIOLET
    • Physochlaina orientalis – ORIENTAL PHYSOCHLAINA
    • Claytonia lanceolata – SPRING BEAUTY, MOUNTAIN POTATO
    • Lewisia rediviva – BITTERROOT
    • Cephalaria tchihatchewii – TCHIHATCHEV’S CEPHALARIA
  • Archives

  • Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

  • Contact Info

    Hill Farm Nursery is located in a rural area north of McLeese Lake, B.C. We are not set up for on-farm visitors at present,
    For 2022 you can find us at:
    WILLIAMS LAKE FARMERS' MARKET (May 6 onward)
    QUESNEL FARMERS' MARKET (May 7 to mid June)
    McLEESE LAKE FARMERS' MARKET - TBA
    1-250-297-6553 / arcadiaborealis@gmail.com
  • QUESNEL SEEDY SATURDAY 2021 - cancelled

    Seedy Saturday Quesnel - no word on this event for 2022. Maybe in 2023?
  • WILLIAMS LAKE SEEDY SATURDAY 2022 - it's on!

    Williams Lake Farmers' Market site, in the parking lot between the Cariboo Memorial Recreation Complex and Kiwanis Park.
    We're good to go! Saturday, April 30, 2022, 9 AM till 2 PM.
  • QUESNEL FARMERS' MARKET

    Helen Dixon Centre
    241 Kinchant Street
    Quesnel. B.C.
    Dates for 2022 - Saturdays, May 7 till October 15
    8:30 AM till 1 PM
  • WILLIAMS LAKE FARMERS' MARKET

    Now in the parking lot beside the Recreation Centre/Pool. Head for Kiwanis Park and you'll find the Market!
    Dates for 2022 - Fridays, May 6 till October 7, 2022
    9 AM till 2 PM
    Tuesdays, June 14 till September 27, 2022
    2 PM till 7 PM
  • McLEESE LAKE FARMERS' MARKET

    Lakeside Tourist Info Site, located between the Oasis Pub and the Oasis Cafe, and directly across from the McLeese Lake General Store.
    Dates in 2022 - TBA
    Time: 9 A.M. till 1 P.M.
  • Affiliations

    Alpine Garden Club of British Columbia
    Alpine Garden Society (Great Britain)
    David Douglas Botanical Garden Society
    Growing North Cariboo Society (F.A.R.M.E.D.)
    North American Rock Garden Society (N.A.R.G.S.)

    Perennial Plant Association (P.P.A.)

    Seeds of Diversity Canada

  • Places to Visit:

    SCOUT ISLAND NATURE CENTRE, Williams Lake, B.C. An oasis of peace on the outskirts of a bustling industrial area. Excellent trail network; something to see 365 days of the year - wildflowers, birds, aquatic life and small mammals. Nature centre, resource library, knowledgeable & enthusiastic naturalists on site.

    DAVID DOUGLAS BOTANICAL GARDEN, Prince George, B.C. Located at the University of Northern British Columbia. A small but interesting perennial flower display garden, lilac display, waterfall & bridge, and the Alice Wolczuk Alpine Garden.

    GOODSIR NATURE PARK, Salmon Valley, B.C. 20 miles north of Prince George. 160 acre private nature reserve, 6 miles of trails, open to the public May-Oct. Wildflowers & trees; an active beaver pond; plant museum, guided & self-guided tours; excellent signage; some rare plants. Picnic tables, firepits & camping available. Entry free; donations welcome.

    OSOYOOS DESERT CENTRE, Osoyoos, B.C. 2 km of boardwalk through B.C.'s rarest ecosystem, the "pocket desert." Wildflowers, birds, reptiles, small mammals. Guided & self-guided; small visitor centre.

    ANCIENT FOREST TRAIL, near Dome Creek, Robson Valley, B.C. (Along Highway 16, halfway between Prince George and McBride. Watch for large signs: "Ancient Forest".) Hiking trails through ancient cedar forest, including a recently completed 1/2 kilometer wheelchair accessible boardwalk portion. Built by dedicated volunteers; a prodigious amount of planning and sheer hard work went into this trail system, and it shows. Worth a stop to walk the boardwalk; you will be inspired to come back and hike the wilder trails as well. Huge cedar trees, ferns, water features - a prime example of B.C.'s rare and endangered Inland Rain Forest. Interpretive signage at parking lot, outhouses, well-thought-out wheelchair unloading/loading area and beautifully designed boardwalk. Donation box.

  • Image & Content Re-Use Policy

    This website represents many years of experience and many hours of labour. We are pleased to participate in the free and open transfer of information over the World Wide Web, keeping the following in mind.

    Personal non-commercial use of our text and images is warmly encouraged for all, and for our nursery customers in particular. You may copy, print and store our info for your own purposes. If sharing, we ask that you please cite Hill Farm Nursery as the source.

    All images are taken by us and most of those (but not all) have the tag HFN (for Hill Farm Nursery) in the caption.

    All written material and HFN images are copyright Hill Farm Nursery. Fellow gardeners, plant groups, societies and associations, you are welcome to re-publish our material as long as it is cited, credited and/or linked.

    COMMERCIAL RE-USE POLICY: We request that you contact us for permission for COMMERCIAL re-use of any of our written and photographic content: bscharf@uniserve.com.

    High resolution jpegs of most images on this website are available for a fee.

Blog at WordPress.com.

WPThemes.


  • Follow Following
    • Hill Farm Nursery
    • Join 74 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Hill Farm Nursery
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Copy shortlink
    • Report this content
    • View post in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...
 

    %d bloggers like this: