SPECIES DESCRIPTION
RANUNCULUS DAHLGRENIAE
Family:- RANUNCULACEAE/Subgen. BATRACHIUM
Common Names:- None
Synonyms:- None
Meaning:- Ranunculus (L) Little-frog, diminutive of rana, (reference to the water-
loving habit of many species).
Dahlgreniae (L) After Gertrud Dahlgren (1931-2009), who pioneered
Batrachium research in the eastern Mediterranean region.
General description:- Annual amphiphyte.
Stems:-
1) Up to 60 cm long, diameter 1-3 mm, fleshy, whitish to pale green, glabrous.
Leaves:-
1) Alternate, 7-12(-15) mm long and 15-24(-35) mm wide, suborbicular to
reniform,
a) primary lobes, 3(-5) dissected to 1/2 or 2/3 of the lamina length.
b) secondary lobes 11-15(-17), hairy at the underside, margin crenate, rarely
dentate, basal sinus of the lamina 120-180°; petiole 28-40(-60) mm long.
2) Intermediate leaves, sometimes present, divided into two or three petiolate
leaflets with rigid filiform apical segments.
3) Capillary leaves, present, alternate, 20-60(-86) mm long, obconical to
suborbicular, glabrous, green, segments flaccid or subrigid, divergent,
middle part of the leaf well developed but shorter than lateral parts, reflexed;
number of the lamina divisions 5-6, number of final segments up to 100;
petiole 7-14(-50) mm long.
4) Stipules, 1/2 adnate to the petiole, glabrous, apex of free part obtuse to
rounded, hairy at margins.
Flowers:-
1) Pedicels 30-58 mm long, mostly straight, sometimes recurved, glabrous.
2) Sepals 5, up to 4 mm long, obovate to elliptical, with a blue edge, spreading,
rarely reflexed.
3) Petals 5, (3-)4-6.5 mm long, obovate, white with a yellow base, not contiguous
during anthesis; sometimes of unequal size, or with one or two incisions up to
1/5 of petals length.
4) Nectar pits 1 per petal, lunate or circular.
5) Stamens 8-16.
6) Carpels 15-30(-40).
Fruit:-
1) Achenes, ripe 1.8-2.2(-2.4) mm long, glabrous, unwinged except for the basal
ventral part, beak lateral or subterminal, sometimes persistent.
Key features:-
1) Pedicels, short, 30-58 mm long.
2) Receptacle, densely pubescent.
Habitat:- The species inhabits freshwater bodies (astatic ponds) at an altitude
between 1000 and 1200 m
Distribution:- A recently described species (2023) from the Omalos Plateau, Lefka
Ori Mountains, western Crete.
Flowering time:-
Photo by:- Currently unavailable
