Some authors have treated this and the following species as members of a single, continually variable species.
After publication, IPNI noted that Wang & Tamura might have mistaken "Ranunculus falcatus L. var. orthoceras Aitch. (1880)" as "C. falcata L. var. orthoceras (DC.) Aitch. & Hemsl."
Petiole to 5 cm; leaf blade palmately or furcately divided into linear segments to 2 mm wide. Scapes to 10 cm. Flowers to 1.4 cm in diam. Sepals elliptic to narrowly ovate-oblong, 3--4 mm, densely lanuginose. Petals oblong-obovate, 5--7 mm. Carpels numerous. Aggregate fruit ovate to shortly cylindric, 1--3 cm; achenes 2--3 mm. Persistent style 7--10 mm, falcate, tomentose or rarely glabrous on lower part. Fl. and fr. Apr--May.
Ranunculus falcatus Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 1: 556. 1753; Ceratocephala falcata var. orthoceras (de Candolle) Aitchison & Hemsley ex W. T. Wang & Tamura, nom. inval. pro syn.; C. orthoceras de Candolle.
