Ranunculaceae

A. aestivalis L., Sp. PL ed. 2, 771 (1762).
Plant glabrescent, sparsely villose at base (rarely throughout), 10-50 cm, often widely branched. Leaf laciniae linear. Flowers 10-30 mm across. Sepals pallid, glabrous or sparsely villose outside, spreading. Petals narrowly obovate, deep scarlet, sometimes orange, coppery or even ivory, with a black base. Achenes conferted, 3-5 mm, rugose-reticulate, dorsal keel with a broadly triangular subacute projection (sometimes weakly developed) § the distance from apex to base, transverse crest often prominent and toothed; beak in line with achene axis, or ascending, ± short, green or bluish.
1. Flowers 15-30 mm across, scarlet: achenes 4-5 mm. sculpturing and dorsal projection prominent subsp. aestivalis
1. Flowers (even on luxuriant specimens) 10-15 mm across, usually orange, coppery or even ivory; achenes 3-4 mm, sculpturing and dorsal projection weak subsp. parviflora
subsp. aestivalis. Figure 7, p. 177. Ic.: Reichb. Ic. Fl. Germ. 3: t. 24 (1838-39). Fields, rocky slopes, disturbed steppe.
Described from S. Europe (Hb. Linn. 714/1!).
Widespread, scarce in the W and extreme E. A1(A) Çanakkale: Erenköy, Sint. 1883:324! A4 Ankara: Ravli to Kalecik. D. 21420! A5 Amasya: Amasya, Maniss. 747! A7 Gümüşane: Charovak, Sint. 1894: 5564. B3 Konya: Akşehir, Bornm. 1899: 4004. A8/B8 Gümüşane/Erzurum: Bayburt to Erzurum, 1200-1400 m, v 1853, Huet! A9 Çoruh: Ardanuç (Grossheim 4: map 88). B4 Ankara: Ankara, 8 v 1952, Kotte! B5 Yozgat: Yozgat, Curtis 102! B7 Elazığ: E end of Hazar G.. 1250 m, D. 28863! C3 Antalya: Hafis Paşa nr. Antalya, 800 m, Teng-wall 726! C4 Konya: Küçük Köy nr. Çumra, Helbaek 980! C6 Gaziantep: Gaziantep to Nisib, 600 m, D. 27908! C7 Urfa: Urfa to Akçakale, 450 m, D. 28170! C8 Mardin: 3 miles NE of Mardin, 900 m, D. 28619!
N.W. Africa, W., C. & S. Europe, Russia, Caucasia, W. Syria, Iran, N. Iraq; Cyprus? Davis 21420 and Sint. 1883: 324 are sparsely villose throughout (including the sepals), and may represent var. velutina Lipsky (Fl. Ciscauc. 226, 1894). Riedl (Ann. Nat. Hofmus. Wien 66: 68, 1963) treats this as a separate species, A. bienertii Butk., but the Turkish plant seems to be no more than an extreme form of subsp. aestivalis. Grossheim (4: map 89) records A. beinertii from A8 Çoruh: nr. Artvin and A9 Kars: nr. Kağızman.