diff --git a/src/renderers/shared/stack/reconciler/ReactCompositeComponent.js b/src/renderers/shared/stack/reconciler/ReactCompositeComponent.js
index 6ac4ab1796b8a..eee5b48f8e954 100644
--- a/src/renderers/shared/stack/reconciler/ReactCompositeComponent.js
+++ b/src/renderers/shared/stack/reconciler/ReactCompositeComponent.js
@@ -1107,7 +1107,7 @@ var ReactCompositeComponent = {
     if (__DEV__) {
       var componentName = component && component.getName ?
         component.getName() : 'a component';
-      warning(publicComponentInstance != null,
+      warning(publicComponentInstance != null || component.toJSON,
         'Stateless function components cannot be given refs ' +
         '(See ref "%s" in %s created by %s). ' +
         'Attempts to access this ref will fail.',
diff --git a/src/renderers/testing/__tests__/ReactTestRenderer-test.js b/src/renderers/testing/__tests__/ReactTestRenderer-test.js
index e562867fd2dbb..0885f0809254f 100644
--- a/src/renderers/testing/__tests__/ReactTestRenderer-test.js
+++ b/src/renderers/testing/__tests__/ReactTestRenderer-test.js
@@ -206,6 +206,17 @@ describe('ReactTestRenderer', function() {
     expect(log).toEqual([null]);
   });
 
+  it('does not warn with legacy refs', function() {
+    spyOn(console, 'error');
+    class Foo extends React.Component {
+      render() {
+        return <div ref="foo" />
+      }
+    }
+    ReactTestRenderer.create(<Foo />);
+    expect(console.error.calls.count()).toBe(0);
+  });
+
   it('supports error boundaries', function() {
     var log = [];
     class Angry extends React.Component {