Ranunculus balikunensis J. G. Liou

Herbs perennial. Roots fibrous, subequally thick. Stems ca. 30 cm, glabrous, 1-branched above. Basal leaves 3 or 4; petiole 6--12 cm, glabrous; blade 3-sect or 3-partite, reniform-orbicular or cordate-pentagonal, 2.8--3.5 × 3.8--5 cm, papery, glabrous, base deeply cordate, central segment obovate, 3-lobed; central lobe ovate or narrowly ovate, entire; lateral lobes 1- or 2-dentate, lateral segments obliquely flabellate, unequally 2-partite, upper lobe incised-dentate, lower lobe unequally 2-lobed. Stem leaves subsessile or sessile, 3--7-sect, segments divided into lanceolate or narrowly ovate lobes. Monochasium terminal, 2- or 3-flowered; bracts leaflike or linear. Flowers ca. 2.5 cm in diam. Pedicel 2--5 cm, densely yellowish puberulent above. Receptacle puberulent. Sepals 5, ovate or elliptic-ovate, ca. 8 mm, abaxially yellowish puberulent. Petals 5, broadly obovate, 9--11 × 10--13 mm, nectary pit without a scale, apex rounded. Stamens numerous; anthers oblong. Aggregate fruit cylindric, ca. 12 × 8 mm. Achene ovoid, ca. 2.5 × 1.6 mm, glabrous; style persistent, ca. 1 mm, recurved at apex. Fl. Jun.

E Xinjiang (Barkol Kazak Zizhixian).

* Grassy places, slopes; ca. 2400 m.