Meadow Buttercup
Encyclopedia
Ranunculus acris is one of the more common buttercups
across Europe
and temperate Eurasia
. Common names include meadow buttercup and tall buttercup. The plant is also known as an introduced species
across much of the rest of the world, including Australia
. It is a naturalized species and often a weed in parts of North America, but it is probably native in Alaska
and Greenland
.
This species is variable in appearance across the world. It is a somewhat hairy plant that has ascending flowing stems bearing glossy yellow flowers about 25 mm across. There are five overlapping petal
s borne above 5 green sepal
s that soon turn yellow as the flower matures. It has numerous stamen
s inserted below the ovary. As with other members of the genus, the numerous seeds are borne as achene
s.
This and other buttercups contain ranunculin
, which breaks down to the toxin protoanemonin
, a chemical that can cause dermatitis
and vomiting
.
The rare autumn buttercup
(R. aestivalis) is sometimes treated as a variety of this species.
Ranunculus
Ranunculus is a large genus of about 600 species of plants in the Ranunculaceae. Members of the genus include the buttercups, spearworts, water crowfoots and the lesser celandine....
across Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and temperate Eurasia
Eurasia
Eurasia is a continent or supercontinent comprising the traditional continents of Europe and Asia ; covering about 52,990,000 km2 or about 10.6% of the Earth's surface located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres...
. Common names include meadow buttercup and tall buttercup. The plant is also known as an introduced species
Introduced species
An introduced species — or neozoon, alien, exotic, non-indigenous, or non-native species, or simply an introduction, is a species living outside its indigenous or native distributional range, and has arrived in an ecosystem or plant community by human activity, either deliberate or accidental...
across much of the rest of the world, including Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It is a naturalized species and often a weed in parts of North America, but it is probably native in Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
and Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
.
This species is variable in appearance across the world. It is a somewhat hairy plant that has ascending flowing stems bearing glossy yellow flowers about 25 mm across. There are five overlapping petal
Petal
Petals are modified leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They often are brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. Together, all of the petals of a flower are called a corolla. Petals are usually accompanied by another set of special leaves called sepals lying...
s borne above 5 green sepal
Sepal
A sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms . Collectively the sepals form the calyx, which is the outermost whorl of parts that form a flower. Usually green, sepals have the typical function of protecting the petals when the flower is in bud...
s that soon turn yellow as the flower matures. It has numerous stamen
Stamen
The stamen is the pollen producing reproductive organ of a flower...
s inserted below the ovary. As with other members of the genus, the numerous seeds are borne as achene
Achene
An achene is a type of simple dry fruit produced by many species of flowering plants. Achenes are monocarpellate and indehiscent...
s.
This and other buttercups contain ranunculin
Ranunculin
Ranunculin is an instable glucoside found in plants of the buttercup family . On maceration, for example when the plant is wounded, it is enzymatically broken down into glucose and the toxin protoanemonin....
, which breaks down to the toxin protoanemonin
Protoanemonin
Protoanemonin is a toxin found in all plants of the buttercup family . On maceration, for example when the plant is wounded, it is produced by an enzymatic process from the glucoside ranunculin...
, a chemical that can cause dermatitis
Dermatitis
-Etymology:Dermatitis derives from Greek derma "skin" + -itis "inflammation" and genetic disorder.-Terminology:There are several different types of dermatitis. The different kinds usually have in common an allergic reaction to specific allergens. The term may describe eczema, which is also called...
and vomiting
Vomiting
Vomiting is the forceful expulsion of the contents of one's stomach through the mouth and sometimes the nose...
.
The rare autumn buttercup
Ranunculus aestivalis
Ranunculus aestivalis is a rare species of buttercup known by the common name autumn buttercup. It is endemic to the state of Utah in the United States, where it exists only in Garfield County next to the Sevier River. It is restricted to a moist microhabitat in an otherwise dry, open ecosystem,...
(R. aestivalis) is sometimes treated as a variety of this species.
External links
- IPNI • International Plant Names Index
- GRIN Species Profile
- Jepson Manual Treatment
- USDA Plants Profile
- Washington Burke Museum
- Photo gallery