National Collection of Imperiled Plants

CPC National Collection Plant Profile

Photographer:

Joyce Maschinski

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CPC National Collection Plant Profile

Ranunculus aestivalis

Family:	Ranunculaceae
Common Names:	autumn buttercup, autumn sharp buttercup, autumn-fir buttercup
Author:	L. Benson
Growth Habit:	Forb/herb
CPC Number:	3705

Distribution
Protection
Conservation
References

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Photographer: Joyce Maschinski
jmaschinski[at]fairchildgarden.org

Ranunculus aestivalis is Fully Sponsored

Primary custodian for this plant in the CPC National Collection of Endangered Plants is:

The Arboretum at Flagstaff

Joyce Maschinski, Ph.D. contributed to this Plant Profile.

Ranunculus aestivalis

Autumn buttercup is so named because it flowers late in the season. It was first collected in 1894 near Panguitch, Utah. It was relocated in 1948, but L. Benson, the botanist who rediscovered the population, recommended that the plants shouldn't be collected because the population didn't appear very large or healthy. As of 1979, this plant hadn't been collected and was considered possibly extinct. However, in 1982 a single population was discovered in a pasture, with a total of 400 plants in it. By 1988, this single known population had only 10 to 20 individuals in it, and The Nature Conservancy was able to purchase the land, naming it the Sevier Valley Preserve. Shortly after that, another population of about 200 flowering individuals was found on the preserve. A monitoring program implemented at the Preserve has shown a trend toward steadily decreasing population size and reproductive output. (Spence 1996)

This species is an herbaceous perennial with deeply palmate lobed leaves clustered at the base of a flowering stalk that may grow to 2 feet tall. Flowering plants usually produce six to ten yellow flowers, with heaviest flowering during the months of July and August (Spence 1996, WWF 1990)

Distribution & Occurrence

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State Range

Utah

Habitat

Plants grow in wet meadows adjacent to the Sevier River in Utah at 6440 feet elevation. (WWF 1990)

Distribution

Found only in the Sevier Valley Preserve in south-central Utah. (Spence 1996)

Number Left

Known from 2 populations with greatly fluctuating numbers in Garfield County, Utah. (Spence 1996)

Protection

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Global Rank:	G1	1/1/1996	Guide to Global Ranks
Federal Status:	LE	10/24/1996	Guide to Federal Status
Recovery Plan:	Yes	9/16/1991

State/Area Protection

	State/Area	Rank	Status	Date
	Utah	S1		6/1/1998

Conservation, Ecology & Research

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Ecological Relationships

None known.

Threats

agriculture grazing small population and restricted habitat desiccation or diversion of springs that subirrigate the monitored stand and nearby prospective reintroduction sites

Current Research Summary

� Current demographic studies by Spence (1996) indicate that the species is subject to wide population swings.
� Genetic studies by Van Buren et al. (1994) showed that the taxon known as Ranuculus acriformis var. aestivalis should in fact be elevated to its own species, named Ranunculus aestivalis.

Current Management Summary

It is uncertain whether the current management regime on TNC land is helping or hurting the species, because grazing is problematic, but so is competition. Monitoring of this species was begun in the Sevier Valley Preserve in 1991, the results of which revealed a dramatic decline in population numbers and reproductive output. (Spence 1996)

Research Management Needs

Continue to investigate what conditions are necessary to maintain healthy populations.

Ex Situ Needs

Attempts to propagate this species using tissue culture at the Arboretum of Flagstaff have not been successful so far, but are continuing.

References

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Books (Single Authors)

Martin, W.C.; Hutchins, C.R. 1980-1981. A flora of New Mexico. Germany: Hirschberg. 2591p.

Welsh, S.L. 1979. Illustrated manual of proposed endangered and threatened plants of Utah. Provo, UT: Brigham Young University. 318p.

Welsh, S.L.; Atwood, N.D.; Goodrich, S.; Higgins, L.C. 1993. A Utah flora. Provo, Utah: Brigham Young Univ. 986p.

WWF. 1990. The official World Wildlife Fund (WWF) guide to endangered species of North America. Washington, D.C.: Beacham Publishing. 1180p.

Books (Sections)

Harvey, H.J. 1985. Population biology and the conservation of rare species. In: White, J., editor. Studies on plant demography. John L. Harper, Academic Press. Orlando, FL. p 111-123.

Kartesz, J.T. 1999. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the U.S., Canada, and Greenland. In: Kartesz, J.T.; Meacham, C.A., editors. Synthesis of the North American Flora, Version 1.0. North Carolina Botanical Garden. Chapel Hill, NC.

Leck, M.A. 1989. Wetland seed banks. In: Leck, M.A.; Parker, V.T.; Simpson, R.L., editors. Ecology of soil seed banks. Academic Press, Inc. San Diego, CA.

Shaffer, M. 1987. Minimum viable populations: Coping with uncertainty. In: Soule, M.E., editor. Viable populations for conservation. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge, Great Britain.

Conference Proceedings

Spence, J.R. Demography and Monitoring of the Autumn Buttercup, Ranunculus aestivalis (Benson) Van Buren & Harper, South-Central Utah. Gen. Tech. Rep. RM-GTR-283. Proceedings of the Southwestern Rare and Endangered Plant Conference; September 11-14; Flagstaff, AZ. In: Maschinski, J.; Hammond, H.D.; Holter, L., editors. 1996. USDA and US Forest Service. p 19-26.

Electronic Sources

USGS. (2002). Status of Listed Species and Recovery Plan Development. [Web site] USGS: Norther Prairie Wildlife Research Center. http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/distr/others/recoprog/plant.htm. Accessed: 2002.

Journal Articles

1988. Status Summary. Idaho Native Plant Society Newsletter: Sage Notes.

1988. Threatened and Endangered Plants Summary. Sego Lily: Newsletter of the Utah Native Plant Society. 15: 2.

Benson, L. 1948. A treatise on North American Ranunculi. The American Midland Naturalist. 40: 1-264.

England, J.L. 1989. Endangered and threatened wildlife and plants; delisting of Echinocereus engelmannii var. purpureus (purple-spined hedgehog cactus). Federal Register. 54, 226: 48749-48751.

Falk, D.A. 1987. Integrated conservation strategies for endangered plants. Natural Areas Journal. 7, 3: 118-123.

Menges, E.S. 1986. Predicting the future of rare plant populations: demographic monitoring and modeling. Natural Areas Journal. 6: 13-25.

Samson, F.B. 1983. Minimum viable populations - a review. Natural Areas Journal. 3: 15-23.

Sarukhan, J. 1973. Studies on plant demography: Ranunculus repens L., R. bulbosus L, and R. acris L. Population flux and survivorship. Journal of Ecology. 61: 675-716.

Sarukhan, J. 1974. Studies on plant demography: Ranunculus repens L., R. bulbosus L, and R. acris L. Reproductive strategies and seed population dynamics. Journal of Ecology. 62: 151-177.

Spence, J.R.; Van Pelt, N.S.; Franklin, M.A. 1992. Monitoring of a very rare meadow buttercup, Ranunculus acriformis var. aestivalis, in south-central Utah. Natural Areas Journal. 12, 3: 155-157.

USFWS. 1976. Proposed Endangered Status for 1700 U.S. Plants. Federal Register. 41: 24523-24572.

USFWS. 1988. Proposed rule to determine Ranunculus acriformis var. aestivalis (autumn buttercup) to be an endangered species. Federal Register. 53, 141: 27724-27728.

Van Buren, R.; Harper, K.T.; Andersen, W.R.; Stanton, D.J.; Seyoum, S.; England, J.L. 1994. Evaluating the relationship of autumn buttercup (Ranunculus acriformis var. aestivalis) to some close congeners using random amplified polymorphic DNA. American Journal of Botany. 81, 4: 514-519.

Newspaper Articles

Bauman, J. 1988 August 6. Utah flower may bloom on the endangered list. Desert News; A1 and A3.

Reports

Baird, G. 1988. Utah preserve design. Salt Lake City, UT: The Nature Conservancy. p.Unpublished paper.

Mutz, K.M. 1984. Status report on Ranunculus acriformis A. Gray var. aestivalis L. Benson. Denver, CO: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. p.36. Unpublished report.

Spence, J.R. 1991. Demography and monitoring of the Autumn Buttercup, Ranunculus acriformis var. aestivalis L. Benson at the Sevier Valley Preserve, south-central Utah, 1991. Torey, Utah: for The Nature Conservancy, Salt Lake City, Utah. Manzanita BioStudies. p.79. Final contract report.

Spence, J.R. Population dynamics of the endangered and declining Autumn Buttercup, Ranunculus aestivalis (Benson) Van Buren & Harper. Page, AZ: National Park Services, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.

USFWS. 1991. Autumn Buttercup (Ranunculus acriformis var. aestivalis) Recovery Plan. Denver, Colorado: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. p.20.

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This profile was updated on 9/28/2010