Ranunculus amplexicaulis

Perennial of the Ranunculaceae family, Ranunculus amplexicaulis is a species of the Pyrenees and the north of the Iberian Peninsula, with some stations in the Southwestern Alps. It occupies rocky lawns, stabilized scree, and high-altitude meadows on siliceous or mixed substrates, generally between 1,400 and 2,600 meters.

It forms upright and slightly spreading clumps, reaching 15 to 30 cm in height. The foliage is one of its most distinctive features: the leaves are entire, lanceolate to oval-lanceolate, a glaucous green to gray-green, smooth, and the cauline leaves embrace the stem with a well-visible amplexicaul base, which gives it its epithet. This foliage, unusual in the Ranunculus genus, gives it a slender and recognizable silhouette.

The flowers are white, with five broad and rounded petals, carried on slender stems above the foliage; the bright yellow center formed by the stamens and the receptacle is particularly luminous. The flower buds show a pinkish to reddish hue before opening. In its natural habitat, its flowering extends from May to July depending on the altitude. In cultivation, it generally blooms in April-May.

It requires well-drained soil, rather acidic to neutral, fresh without excess stagnant moisture, and a sunny to slightly shaded exposure. It is suitable for alpine rock gardens and adapts well to an alpine trough in gravelly substrate.