Closely resembling R. plebeius and differing significantly only in the longer achene beak (1.2–2 mm long) which is straight or gently curved, usually with a short, tightly recoiled tip. Flowers Nov.–Feb.
VVP, Gold, CVU, DunT, NIS, EGL, EGU, HSF, HNF, OtR, Strz, MonT, VAlp. Also NSW, ACT, Tas. In Victoria apparently largely confined to montane and subalpine areas of the east, with disjunct records from near the Otway Range, Ararat and Castlemaine. .
Treated by some (e.g. Willis 1973) within a broader circumscription of R. plebeius, which in the narrower sense, tends to occur at lower altitudes than R. scapiger.
Source:
Walsh, N.G. (1996). Ranunculaceae. In: Walsh, N.G.; Entwisle, T.J., Flora of Victoria Vol. 3, Dicotyledons Winteraceae to Myrtaceae, pp. 35–63. Inkata Press, Melbourne.
