arctic buttercup vs Common Buttercup

Ranunculus hyperboreus compared with Ranunculus acris

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	arctic buttercup	Common Buttercup
Kingdom same	Plantae (Plants)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum same	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class same	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order same	Ranunculales (Ranunculales)	Ranunculales (Ranunculales)
Family same	Ranunculaceae	Ranunculaceae
Genus same	Ranunculus	Ranunculus
Species	Ranunculus hyperboreus	Ranunculus acris

Evolutionary Relationship

arctic buttercup and Common Buttercup share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Ranunculus.

Conservation Status

arctic buttercup

LC — Least Concern

Common Buttercup

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	arctic buttercup	Common Buttercup
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

arctic buttercup

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Range

Distributed across Canada, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden.

Common Buttercup

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Japan), Europe (10 countries), North America (Canada, United States), and Oceania and the Pacific (Australia, New Zealand).

arctic buttercup

The Arctic buttercup (Ranunculus hyperboreus) is a species in the genus Ranunculus. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Common Buttercup

<em>Ranunculus acris</em>, commonly known as the common buttercup, is a widely distributed plant species found across Asia, Europe, North America, and Oceania. It typically thrives in diverse terrestrial habitats, often colonizing meadows, pastures, roadsides, and disturbed ground with moist, well-drained soils. The species is classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, reflecting its broad range and generally stable populations. Common buttercup belongs to the genus <em>Ranunculus</em> within the family Ranunculaceae. It is a perennial herbaceous plant that typically produces distinctive bright yellow, glossy petals and is commonly associated with temperate grassland ecosystems. The species is known to contain toxic alkaloids, making it generally unpalatable to livestock when fresh, though it loses toxicity upon drying. Biological traits such as average lifespan, plant height, and mass of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature. Its cosmopolitan distribution across multiple continents underscores its ecological versatility and its ability to colonize a wide variety of environments.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 5 countries:

🇨🇦 Canada 🇫🇮 Finland 🇮🇸 Iceland 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden