Ranunculus ternatus C. P. Thunberg ex A. Murray

Herbs perennial. Root tuber ovoid or fusiform, 3--5 mm. Stems 5--18 cm, sparsely puberulent or glabrous below, branched. Basal leaves 5--10; petiole 2--6 cm; blade ternate, or sometimes simple, pentagonal or broadly ovate in outline, 0.6--1.5 × 1--2.4 cm, thinly papery, subglabrous or abaxially puberulent; leaflets petiolulate, rhombic, 2- or 3-lobed or 2- or 3-partite, sometimes 1--2 × 3-sect and with ultimate segments lanceolate-linear; central lobe rhombic-obovate, 3-lobed or 3-partite. Stem leaves smaller, sessile, 3-sect, ultimate lobes linear, 1--3 mm wide. Flowers solitary, terminal, 1--1.6 cm in diam. Receptacle glabrous. Sepals 5, ovate or broadly ovate, 3--4 mm, abaxially sparsely puberulent or subglabrous. Petals 5, narrowly obovate or obovate, 5.5--7 × 4--5 mm, nectary pit without a scale, apex rounded. Stamens numerous; anthers oblong. Aggregate fruit ovoid, 2--4 × 2--3 mm. Achene ovoid, 1--1.2 × 0.7--1 mm, glabrous; style persistent, ca. 0.2 mm. Fl. Mar--May.

Anhui, Fujian, N Guangxi, S Henan, Hubei, Hunan, S Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Taiwan, Zhejiang [Japan].