Ranunculus polyrhizos Stephan ex Willdenow

Herbs perennial. Roots fibrous, subequally thick. Stems 1--3, 5--18 cm, glabrous below, sparsely puberulent above, simple. Basal leaves 4--7; petiole 1.5--5 cm, glabrous; blade 3-partite or 3-sect, reniform or reniform-pentagonal, 0.7--1.8 × 1--3.2 cm, papery, glabrous, base cordate or subtruncate, central segment oblique flabellate or oblique obovate, unequally 2-lobed, lobes entire or 1-toothed. Lower stem leaves similar to basal leaves, upper stem leaves sessile, 3-sect, segments linear. Flowers solitary, terminal, 1.1--1.9 cm in diam. Receptacle puberulent. Sepals 5, broadly ovate, ca. 5 mm, abaxially sparsely yellowish puberulent. Petals 5, obovate, 5--10 × 5--8 mm, with a few hairs near nectary pits, apex rounded or subtruncate. Stamens numerous; anthers narrowly oblong. Aggregate fruit subglobose, ca. 5 mm in diam. Achene slightly bilaterally compressed, obovoid, 1.6--2 × ca. 1.2 mm, puberulent; style persistent, ca. 0.1 mm.

Xinjiang [Kazakhstan, Russia (W Siberia); Europe].

Meadows, scrub; 1200--1700 m.