Species

Ranunculus mirus

Etymology

Ranunculus: From the Latin 'rana' frog, meaning little frog and probably refers to the plants typical marshy habit where frogs abound

Common Name(s)

None Known

Current Conservation Status

2012 - Not Threatened

Conservation status of New Zealand indigenous vascular plants, 2012
The conservation status of all known New Zealand vascular plant taxa at the rank of species and below were reassessed in 2012 using the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS). This report includes a statistical summary and brief notes on changes since 2009 and replaces all previous NZTCS lists for vascular plants. Authors: Peter J. de Lange, Jeremy R. Rolfe, Paul D. Champion, Shannel P. Courtney, Peter B. Heenan, John W. Barkla, Ewen K. Cameron, David A. Norton and Rodney A. Hitchmough. File size: 792KB

Previous Conservation Status

2009 - Not Threatened
2004 - Range Restricted

Authority

Ranunculus mirus Garn.-Jones

Family

Ranunculaceae

Flora Category

Vascular - Native

NVS Species Code

RANMIR

The National Vegetation Survey (NVS) Databank is a physical archive and electronic databank containing records of over 94,000 vegetation survey plots - including data from over 19,000 permanent plots. NVS maintains a standard set of species code abbreviations that correspond to standard scientific plant names from the Ngä Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plants database.

Structural Class

Dicotyledonous Herbs other than Composites

Synonyms

None (first described in 1987)

Distribution

Endemic. South Island, north-west Nelson where it found in the Kahurangi National Park on the Peel Range and Mt Arthur south to the Wangapeka Range.

Habitat

Alpine (1200-1500 m a.s.l.). A karst endemic of marble and limestone soils and karrenfield. usually found growing in amongst short grasses and herbfield.

Features

Perennial herb. Rosettes small, tufed. Rhizomes absent. Rosette leaves on long hairy petioles (hairs subappressed); lamina bright green to dark green, deeply 3-ternate, densely covered in subappressed hairs; leaflets stalked, obovate, shallowly to deeply 3-lobed, toothed, 7-15 x 10-18 mm. Cauline leaves leaves 1-3, small, sessile or shortly petiolate, lanceolate-entire or obovate-trifid. Flowers 18-25 mm diameter, solitary or 2-3-flowered; pedicels covered with subappressed hairs. Sepals spreading, hispid. Petals 5, 1.6-2(-3) mm long, bright yellow, obovate; nectary 1mm from petal base, single, covered by a small narrow-oblong scale. receptacle hairy. Achenes 15-20 in globose heads, dar brown to dark brownish-purple, flattened, glabrous or with a few sparse bristles; body 2.5-3 x 2-2.5 mm; beak 1-1.5 mm long, curved with hooked apex.

Similar Taxa

Allied to Ranunculus reflexus Garn.-Jones and potentially easily confused with R. foliosus Kirk. From R. reflexus it differs its appressed stem, petiole and leaf hairs, ternate to ternatifid leaves, spreading sepals and fewer (15-30 cf. 40-100), larger, darker achenes (which sometimes bear 1-2 bristles), and by its 1-1.5 rather than 0.7-1 mm long achene beak. From R. foliosus it differs by its appressed rather than spreading stem, petiole and leaf hairs, and by its long (1-1.5 cf. 0.5-1 mm) beaked achenes.

Flowering

November - February

Flower Colours

Yellow

Fruiting

December - April

Propagation Technique

Probably quite easily grown. However, most alpine buttercups are prone to powdery mildew infections at low altitudes and dislike humidity.

Threats

A narrow range endemic. Plants are believed to be secure within their alpine habitat.

Chromosome No.

2n = 48

Endemic Taxon

Yes

Endemic Genus

No

Endemic Family

No

Where To Buy

Not commercially available

This page last updated on 14 Jan 2014