Creeping Buttercup, Prairie Double-flowered Buttercup, Water Buttercup, Creeping Buttercup
Ranunculus repens
Family: Ranunculaceae
What it is like
Bloom Color: Yellow. Main Bloom Time: Early summer, Early fall, Late summer, Late spring, Mid summer. Form: Spreading or horizontal, Upright or erect.
Ranunculus repens is a PERENNIAL growing to 0.3 m (1ft) by 1 m (3ft 3in) at a fast rate. It is not frost tender. It is in flower from May to August. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Bees, flies, beetles. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and can grow in heavy clay soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil.
Height (m): 0.3
Where it is found
Wet meadows, pastures, woods, dune slacks etc. A common and rampant weed, avoiding acid soils.
Europe, including Britain, from Norway south and east to Spain, through Asia to China and Japan.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 1
Leaves - cooked and used as a pot-herb. A famine food, used when all else fails, and I would rather give it a miss even then! See the notes above on toxicity. Root - must be dried beforehand and thoroughly cooked. Personally, I would rather give this one a miss, see the notes above on toxicity.
Root: includes bulbs, corms, tubers, rhizomes etc.
Medicine
Rating: 1
The entire plant is analgesic and rubefacient. A poultice of the chewed leaves has been used in the treatment of sores, muscular aches and rheumatic pains. Some caution is advised in the use of this plant, see the notes above on toxicity.
Analgesic: Relieves pain.
Rubefacient: A counter-irritant and external stimulant, it produces inflammation and redness of the skin.
Other
Rating: 0
Food Forest: Plants for Edible Forest Gardens and Food Forests.
How it is grown
Landscape Uses:Ground cover, Woodland garden. Prefers a moist loamy soil on the heavy side. A rampantly spreading weed of grassland, few gardeners would want to introduce it to their land. A greedy plant, inhibiting the growth of nearby plants, especially legumes. Special Features:Attractive foliage, North American native, Invasive, Naturalizing, Wetlands plant, Extended bloom season in Zones 9A and above. In garden design, as well as the above-ground architecture of a plant, root structure considerations help in choosing plants that work together for their optimal soil requirements including nutrients and water. The root pattern is suckering with new plants from runners away from the plant .
Propagating it: Seed - sow spring in a cold frame. A very common weed, it doesn't really need any help from us. Division in spring. Very easy, though probably totally unnecessary, larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions.
Best place to grow: Woodland Garden Dappled Shade; Shady Edge; Meadow;
Habit: Perennial
Hardiness: 3-8
Growth: Fast
Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: Semi-shade, no shade
Moisture: Moist
Things to keep in mind
All parts of the plant are poisonous, the toxins being destroyed by heat or by drying. The plant also has a strongly acrid juice that can cause blistering to the skin.