Stems decumbent, sometimes rooting at nodes. Flowers: sepals spreading or reflexed from base. Achene margin 0.1-0.2 mm broad. 2 n = 64. Flowering spring-summer (Apr-Aug). Swampy woods, marshes, stream banks, ditches; 0-600 m; Man., N.B., Nfld., N.S., Ont., P.E.I., Que.; Conn., Ill., Ind., Iowa, Maine, Mass., Mich., Minn., Mo., N.H., N.J., N.Y., N.Dak., Ohio, Pa., R.I., S.Dak., Vt., Va., Wis. The name Ranunculus septentrionalis Poiret has often been used for R . hispidus var. caricetorum . The type specimen, however, belongs to var. nitidus (T. Duncan 1980).