Its distribution extends from Alaska through British Columbia and Alberta to central California.

[1] The flower can be seen in open meadows, forests, and other generally flat areas up to an elevation of 2,200 metres (7,200 ft).

[2] Aleut first nations may have used juice from the plant as a poison,[3] its toxicity arising from the substance protoanemonin.

[4] Shasta first nations coincided blooming Ranunculus occidentalis with salmon runs in the summer.

[6] This plant is similar to, and sometimes difficult to distinguish from, the California buttercup (Ranunculus californicus).