Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Angiosperms
Class: Eudicots
Order: Ranunculales
Family: Ranunculaceae
Subfamily: Ranunculoideae
Tribe: Ranunculeae
Genus: Ranunculus
Species: R. verticillatus
Scientific name: Ranunculus verticillatus
Synonym: Ranunculus clivalis
Ranunculus verticillatus is tufted perennial herb found in low to high wet alpine areas from the Center Plateau mountain in the North Island and on the Rauhine and Tararua ranges. In the South Island, it is found in Nelson and the western Marlborough.
It is a variable plant with its leaves and stems varying with the altitude. The broad deeply trilobed leaves at a lower altitude are much larger (>10 cm) than the one growing higher up. The stems and flower stem vary in length. The flowers have 8–15 petals and are a bright yellow on the upper surface, their underside is a different colour.
Photos are of plants growing in Otari Wilton's Reserve nursery in Wellington.
Thanks to Wikipedia for text and information: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
