The family name is derived from Latin "ranunculus", little frog, because the plants grow in wet areas. The flowers of this family that you will find in the northern Sierra are: Aconitum (monkshood), Anemone (windflower), Aquilegia (columbine), Caltha (marsh-marigold), Clematis, Delphinium (larkspur), Isopyrum, Kumlienia, Ranunculus (buttercup), and Thalictrum (meadow-rue). There are a more that appear in other areas, but these are in El Dorado or Alpine Counties.

One particular feature shared by the members of Ranunculaceae is that many species have unusual flower shapes. Look at the hood shape of Aconitum, the elongated nectaries of Aquilegia, and the funny "lampshade" look of Thalictrum. Unusual. Then look at the more regular looking Anemone and Ranunculus and realize that the flowers have no petals. The colored "petals" are actually sepals that masquerade as petals.

Plants likely to be encountered during July through August:

Aconitum columbianum, common name monkshood: pretty common in wet areas, often in shade but also in sunny meadows along streams or boggy areas. Looking at the shape of the flower will explain the name. Thiese flowers grow along the top of the stem in a raceme, individual flowers blooming from bottom to top. The colored petals (usually a shade of blue, sometimes white) are not petals but sepals.

The name Aconitum is the ancient Greek name; "columbianum" means of western North America.

Aquilegia formosa, common name columbine: almost certain to show up in shaded forest areas along any drainage. The flowers are eye-catching not only because of the bright orange-red and yellow flowers, but also because they have those long up-pointed nectaries and flaring "petals". The nectaries are evolved for hummingbird access. Sometimes if you stand quietly fo a few minutes you can hear the hummers in the vicinity and you may see one or two flitting about the columbines. It's a worthwhile way to take a few minute break.

The name "columbine" is derived from Latin "columba"= dove, with a possibility that the ring of nectaries looked like doves around a fountain (?). The family name "aqueligia" comes from Latin for eagle, with another odd notion that the flowers looked like eagle talons! "Formosa" simply means "pretty" and most hikers will agree to that one, if the eagle or dove parts seem far-fetched.

Anemone sp, common name anemone: a hard one to catch, anemone grows in wet soils as the snow melts, and seems to be pretty difficult to sneak up on. I have only even managed to find seed heads in one part of the Desolation Wilderness (Lyons Lake) and after several tries, never been able to see them in bloom. A few years ago I followed up on a tip from a survey of Lake Tahoe flora printed in 1984 that said Anemone drummondii was located mstly in areas around the north end of the Tahoe basin, but also "several showy clumps growing in volcanic gravels, on precipitous cliffs of Carson Spur." I was able to find showy clumps, but it was higher up the trail past the Sentinels. See the trail description in the Habitats section: Thunder Mountain. Note: these are sure to be gone by August.

The name "anemone" means "shaken by the wind.

Caltha leptosepela var biflora, common name marsh-marigold: easy to find if you get to a marshy area or a shaded stream bank somewhat early in the season. (I have actually still found them all the way through August, but that's probably unusual.) A good place to see them is in the flat areas before Winnemucca Lake, where they grow in huge numbers through July and probably into August.

The name "caltha" was the Latin name for marigolds. Note that there is no botanical relationship, simply that the flowers are supposed to look like marigolds. I don't see it, but I didn't name them. "Leptosepala" means they have narrow sepals, and "biflora" means what it sounds like: having two flowers.

Ranunculus sp, common name buttercups: You will need to keep your eyes closed to miss seeing some form of buttercup as you hike the trails. There are many forms of Ranunculus to be found in this area, very few of them easily recognized to species. The one shown here is Ranunculus eschscholtzii var oxynotus, common name: waterfall buttercup. It's pretty much noted for a bigger flower that is closer to the ground. Most other buttercups are smaller, and most have taller stems. As long as you know it's a buttercup, you're probably set, right? Point at them and call out the identification with confidence.

Thalictrum sp, common name meadow-rue: a curious little plant that will show up along stream crossings. They have pendent tassels of stamens, greenish sepals, and no petals. There are a few species in this area but Fendler's meadow-rue is likely going to catch your eye if you look into the vegetation around water. The flowers are always compared to Victorian lamp shades.

The name "thalictrum" comes from Greek and means "a plant with divided leaves". The name was given to the genus by Dioscorides, the Greek physician who cataloged plants. The common name "rue" refers to a similarity to a European herb also named rue. It is unrelated.