
Alkali Buttercup
Halerpestes cymbalaria
Halerpestes cymbalaria is a species of buttercup known by the common names alkali buttercup and seaside buttercup. It is native to much of Eurasia and parts of North and South America, where it grows in many types of habitat, especially in moist to wet areas such as marshes, bogs, and moist spring meadows.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC) via https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halerpestes_cymbalaria
Taxonomy & Classification
Kingdom
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Order
Ranunculales
Family
Ranunculaceae
Genus
Halerpestes
Alkali Buttercup belongs to the family Ranunculaceae, order Ranunculales, within the Magnoliopsida class.
Species Profile
Halerpestes cymbalaria is a species of buttercup known by the common names alkali buttercup and seaside buttercup. It is native to much of Eurasia and parts of North and South America, where it grows in many types of habitat, especially in moist to wet areas such as marshes, bogs, and moist spring meadows. It is a perennial herb producing several stems a few centimeters to nearly 40 centimeters long. Some are prostrate against the ground and are stolons which root in moist substrate, and some are erect. The leaves are variable in shape, the basal ones with notched or slightly divided leaf blades borne on long petioles, and any upper leaves much reduced in size. The inflorescence bears one or more flowers on erect stalks. The flower has five to eight pale yellow petals, each under a...
The Alkali Buttercup faces severe population declines primarily due to habitat loss and degradation of its specialized alkaline wetland environments. Human activities including agricultural conversion, water diversion, and urban development have significantly reduced the availability of suitable saline and alkaline habitats this species requires.
Key Facts
Habitat & Distribution
Threats
IUCN Red List: Endangered
The Alkali Buttercup faces severe population declines primarily due to habitat loss and degradation of its specialized alkaline wetland environments. Human activities including agricultural conversion, water diversion, and urban development have significantly reduced the availability of suitable saline and alkaline habitats this species requires.
Habitat loss and fragmentation from agricultural conversion
Water diversion and altered hydrology of wetland systems
Climate change affecting water availability
Invasive plant species competition
Urban and industrial development
Community Sightings
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Sources & Attribution
How to Cite
IUCN: IUCN (2025). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2025-1. Available at: https://www.iucnredlist.org. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2025-1.RLTS
GBIF: GBIF.org (2025). GBIF Home Page. Available at: https://www.gbif.org
This page: SpeciesRadar (2025). Alkali Buttercup (Halerpestes cymbalaria). SpeciesRadar: Intelligence for Earth's Biodiversity. Available at: https://speciesradar.org/species/alkali-buttercup