​Alkali Buttercup, Seaside Crowfoot, Marsh Buttercup,Ranunculus cymbalaria,Buttercup (Ranunculaceae)

Found in wet areas, bogs, stream sides
Seen blooming in August by the Rio Chama
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Buttercups are usually found in moist environments so we don’t see too many of them in our dry, high desert. The Alkali Buttercup is fairly common in the right environment, which is muddy and often saline. It grows to less than 12 inches high with erect flowering stems and runners that take root and create colonies. Its glossy green leaves are mostly roundish, less than one inch wide, with scalloped edges and stalks up to three inches long. Flowers are small, less than 1/2 inch wide, with five petals. What appears to be more petals are yellow sepals, another feature of buttercups. A green, oblong seed head rises to 1/2 inch from the center of the flower. Traditionally, various Navaho groups used the Alkali Buttercup as a venereal aid, an emetic, and a ceremonial medicine. The Kawaiisu used it as a dermatological aid. Source.
 
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