Image of Ranunculus carinthiacus Hoppe

Description:

Slo.: koroka zlatica - Habitat: Mountain pasture, grassland among outcropped rocks; almost flat terrain, Calcareous ground, open place, full sun, exposed to direct rain, elevation 1.860 m (6.100 feet), average precipitations ~ 3.000 mm/year, average temperature 1 - 3 deg C, alpine phytogeographical region. - Substratum: soil. - Comments: Ranunculus carinthiacus is named after Carinthia, which was a name of a historic country, which territory partly corresponded to the northeast part of present Slovenia. Yet, it is not an endemic plant bound to this territory, because it grows in most of the Southeast Alps as well as in some parts of the West Alps, in Pyrenees and also on Balkan mountains. In Switzerland and in Austria it is considered as a rather rare plant, while on grassland of Mangart's flatsit is probably the dominant blooming plant in June. Its golden yellow flowers can be seen almost everywhere. The plant is poisonous. - To separate it from more common, somewhat taller but generally very similar Ranunculus montanus one has to be careful regarding stalk leaves. Ranunculus montanus has broader leaflets of stalk leaves (they are less than 7 times longer than broad, while with Ranunculus carinthiacus they are even narrower). Another important trait is the surface of their ground leaves. With Ranunculus montanus it is hairy, while with Ranunculus carinthiacus they are glabrous. - Ref.: (1) A. Martini et all., Mala Flora Slovenije, Tehnina Zaloba Slovenije (2007) (in Slovene), p 142. (2) M.A. Fischer, W. Adler, K. Oswald, Exkursionsflora sterreich Liechtenstein, Sdtirol, LO Landesmuseen, Linz, Austria (2005), p 288. (3) D. Aeschimann, K. Lauber, D.M. Moser, J.P. Theurillat, Flora Alpina, Vol. 1., Haupt (2004), p 162. (4) K. Lauber and G. Wagner, Flora Helvetica, 5. Auflage, Haupt (2012), p 126. (5) Rothmaler 3, Exkursionsflora von Deutschland, 11. Aufl., Elsevier, Spectrum (2007), p 56.