Western buttercup
Ranunculus occidentalis
''Ranunculus occidentalis'' is a species of buttercup found in the western United States and Canada. Its distribution extends from Alaska through British Columbia and Alberta to central California. The flower can be seen in open meadows, forests, and other generally flat areas up to an elevation of 2,200 metres .
Aleut Indians may have used juice from the plant as a poison, its toxicity arising from the substance protoanemonin. Shasta Indians coincided blooming ''R. occidentalis'' with salmon runs in the summer. The seeds were used to make pinole, a staple food.
This plant is similar to, and sometimes difficult to distinguish from, the California buttercup .
Aleut Indians may have used juice from the plant as a poison, its toxicity arising from the substance protoanemonin. Shasta Indians coincided blooming ''R. occidentalis'' with salmon runs in the summer. The seeds were used to make pinole, a staple food.
This plant is similar to, and sometimes difficult to distinguish from, the California buttercup .
