Kingdom Plantae Family Ranunculaceae Scientific name Kumlienia hystricula Rank Species | Order Ranunculales Genus Kumlienia Higher classification Kumlienia | |
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Kumlienia hystricula (formerly Ranunculus hystriculus) is a species of flowering plant in the buttercup family known by the common name waterfall false buttercup.
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Description
Kumlienia hystricula is a small perennial herb growing from fleshy roots and a thick caudex. It produces a basal rosette of hairless green leaves which are rounded with several round lobes. Each leaf is one to three centimeters wide and is borne on a long petiole. From the patch emerge several inflorescences on erect to drooping peduncles up to about 20 centimeters tall. Each flower has 5 or 6 white sepals which look like petals. The actual petals are much smaller, shiny yellow-green structures curving around the center of the bloom. There are many stamens and pistils in the center. The fruits are bristly, lance-shaped bodies a few millimeters long and clustered together.
Distribution
Kumlienia hystricula is endemic to the Sierra Nevada in California, where it grows in wet areas in the coniferous forests of the range.