Kumlienia hystricula
Encyclopedia
Kumlienia hystricula is a species of flowering plant in the buttercup family
known by the common name waterfall false buttercup.
. It produces a basal rosette of hairless green leaves which are rounded with several round lobes. Each leaf is one to three centimeters wide and is borne on a long petiole
. From the patch emerge several inflorescence
s on erect to drooping peduncles
up to about 20 centimeters tall. Each flower has 5 or 6 white sepal
s which look like petals. The actual petals are much smaller, shiny yellow-green structures curving around the center of the bloom. There are many stamen
s and pistils
in the center. The fruits are bristly, lance-shaped bodies a few millimeters long and clustered together.
, where it grows in wet areas in the coniferous forests of the range.
Ranunculaceae
Ranunculaceae are a family of about 1700 species of flowering plants in about 60 genera, distributed worldwide....
known by the common name waterfall false buttercup.
Description
Kumlienia hystricula is is a small perennial herb growing from fleshy roots and a thick caudexCaudex
A caudex is a form of stem morphology appearing as a thickened, short, perennial stem that is either underground or near ground level . It may be swollen for the purpose of water storage, especially in xerophytes...
. It produces a basal rosette of hairless green leaves which are rounded with several round lobes. Each leaf is one to three centimeters wide and is borne on a long petiole
Petiole (botany)
In botany, the petiole is the stalk attaching the leaf blade to the stem. The petiole usually has the same internal structure as the stem. Outgrowths appearing on each side of the petiole are called stipules. Leaves lacking a petiole are called sessile, or clasping when they partly surround the...
. From the patch emerge several inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
s on erect to drooping peduncles
Peduncle (botany)
In botany, a peduncle is a stem supporting an inflorescence, or after fecundation, an infructescence.The peduncle is a stem, usually green and without leaves, though sometimes colored or supporting small leaves...
up to about 20 centimeters tall. Each flower has 5 or 6 white sepal
Sepal
A sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms . Collectively the sepals form the calyx, which is the outermost whorl of parts that form a flower. Usually green, sepals have the typical function of protecting the petals when the flower is in bud...
s which look like petals. The actual petals are much smaller, shiny yellow-green structures curving around the center of the bloom. There are many stamen
Stamen
The stamen is the pollen producing reproductive organ of a flower...
s and pistils
Gynoecium
Gynoecium is most commonly used as a collective term for all carpels in a flower. A carpel is the ovule and seed producing reproductive organ in flowering plants. Carpels are derived from ovule-bearing leaves which evolved to form a closed structure containing the ovules...
in the center. The fruits are bristly, lance-shaped bodies a few millimeters long and clustered together.
Distribution
Kumlienia hystricula is endemic to the Sierra Nevada in CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, where it grows in wet areas in the coniferous forests of the range.