[Buttercups: The Genus Ranunculus in the Columbia River
Gorge of Oregon and Washington]
Dalles Mountain Buttercup, Obscure Buttercup
Ranunculus triternatus
Synonyms: Ranunculus glaberrimus var. reconditus, Ranunculus reconditus
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The photo at left shows the Dalles Mt. buttercup as seen in the Columbia
Hills along the northern side of the Columbia River Gorge.........February 12,
2006. Note the large bright yellow flower which is roughly the size of a quarter
and the dissected leaves. The photo at right shows obscure buttercup blooming in oak leaf litter at the Columbia Hills in Klickitat County, WA.....February 15, 2022.
Characteristics:
The Dalles Mountain buttercup is an attractive perennial wildflower
which is related to sagebrush buttercup of which
it once was considered a variety. The flower stems rise 3-8 cm high from a mass
of dissected basal leaves. Individual leaves are triternately dissected into
linear segments (See photos.) The stem leaves are similar but reduced in size.
The herbage of leaves and stems is generally glabrous, lacking noticeable hairs.
One to three flowers are borne on long peduncles from near the
top of each of the stems. The bright yellow petals are broadly ovate, measuring
4-12 mm long.
Habitat:
The Dalles Mountain buttercup is found primarily in fairly undisturbed
grasslands or areas of mixed grasslands and sagebrush. Plants are generally
found in deeper soils among bunch grasses rather than in the thinner rocky poorer
soils which are frequently found on the hilsides.
Range:
The Dalles Mountain buttercup is endemic to the Columbia River
Gorge and is found only on a handful of sites in Oregon and Washington between
the Klickitat River and Goldendale, WA.
An early blooming Dalles Mt. buttercup as seen in the Columbia Hills State Park.........February 4, 2009.
Another early blooming Dalles Mt. buttercup as seen in the Columbia Hills State Park.........February 4, 2009.
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The photo at left shows a close-up of the Dalles Mt. buttercup as seen in the Columbia Hills along the northern side of the Columbia River Gorge.........March 17, 2007. The photo at right shows a close-up image of a flower of the obscure buttercup seen from near the same location.........February 25, 2017.
The photo above shows a close-up of the Dalles Mt. buttercup as seen in the Columbia Hills along the
northern side of the Columbia River Gorge.........March 17, 2007.
The photo above shows the Dalles Mt. buttecup as seen in the Columbia Hills along the northern side of the Columbia River Gorge.........March 24, 2008.
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Additional photos of obscure buttercup as seen at the Columbia Hills State Park in the Columbia River Gorge..........February 15, 2009.
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Additional photos of obscure buttercup as seen on WDFW land in Klickitat County, WA...........March 18, 2010. Note the tiny beetle on the flower in these photos. Other possible pollinators seen on this date included tiny black ants, a large bumblebee, a small blue-green mason bee and a slightly larger native black bee with pointed abdomen.
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Obscure buttercups can occasionally bloom around New Years Day when weather conditions are right. The leaves may appear as early as Thanksgiving. Photos fro the Columbia Hills, Columbia River Gorge......February 2, 2023.
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Obscure buttercup as seen on steep, rocky slopes above Swale Creek several miles upstream from the Klickitat River...........April 12, 2012.
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Obscure blooming late in the Columbia Hills, Columbia Hills Natural Area Preserve.............April 3, 2013. Here it can be seen with both Canby's desert parsley (Lomatium canbyi) and western spring beauty (Claytonia lanceolata).
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Early leaves of obscure buttercup arising in the Columbia Hills State Park.........December 15, 2017.
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Obscure buttercup as seen (left) on WDFW land in Klickitat County, WA............March 13, 2014. The photo at right shows obscure buttercup in the Columbia Hills NAP......March 25, 2016.
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Early blooming obscure buttercups as seen in the Columbia Hills of Klickitat County, WA.........January 15, 2014. Such early blooming plants of this species are typically found at the base of large basalt rocks where they are protected from cold winds and they can pick up a bit of heat from the rocks which heat up on sunny winter days.
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Obscure buttercups as seen in the Columbia Hills of Klickitat County, WA..........February 15, 2015.
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Obscure buttercups as seen in Columbia Hills State Park.........March 3, 2016.
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Obscure buttercup as seen at left in the Columbia Hills Natural Area Preserve, eastern Columbia River Gorge............March 5, 2015. The photo at right shows the early foliage of obscure buttercup as seen
in Columbia Hills State Park.........December 13, 2018.
Paul Slichter