Ranunculus potaninii N. F. Kom.

Herbs perennial. Roots fibrous, subequally thick. Stems 20--30 cm, glabrous or sparsely puberulent below. Petiole 4.5--12 cm, glabrous or sparsely puberulent; leaf blade 3-sect or 3-partite, pentagonal-ovate or pentagonal, 2.5--5 × 2.5--5 cm, thinly papery, glabrous or abaxially sparsely appressed pubescent, base broadly cuneate, central segment rhombic, 3-cleft, with narrowly ovate or lanceolate lobes, or undivided and oblong or linear-lanceolate; lateral segments oblique flabellate or oblique cuneate, unequally 2- or 3-cleft, ultimate lobes linear-lanceolate or long elliptic. Lower stem leaves similar to basal ones, upper leaves sessile, 3-sect, segments linear. Monochasium terminal, 1--3-flowered; bracts leaflike. Flowers 1--1.7 cm in diam. Pedicel 1--6 cm, puberulent. Receptacle glabrous. Sepals 5, broadly elliptic, 2.8--4 mm, abaxially puberulent. Petals 5, broadly obovate, 4--8 × 3.2--7 mm, nectary pit without a scale, apex rounded. Stamens numerous; anthers oblong. Aggregate fruit ovoid, 5--7 × 3--4 mm. Achene obliquely obovoid, ca. 1.1 × 1.1 mm, glabrous; style persistent, 0.5--0.7 mm. Fl. May--Jul.

SW Gansu, W Sichuan, SE Xizang, NW Yunnan (Zhongdian Xian) [Nepal].

Meadows, swamps; 3600--4800 m.

Ranunculus pulchellus C. A. Meyer var. potaninii (Komarov) Handel-Mazzetti.