Scientific Name:
Ranunculus repens
Pronunciation:
ruh-NUNK-you-luss REE-penz
Common Name:
creeping buttercup
Family Name:
Ranunculaceae
Plant Type:
Herbaceous perennial, Invasive plant, Weed (horticultural)
Key ID Features:
Perennial herb with creeping runners to 1m long that root at nodes; leaves basal or alternate on runners, trifoliate, leaflets each with three main toothed lobes, most 2-5cm long x 3-6cm wide, petioles 10-40cm long; cyme with flowers mostly 2-3cm wide, 5 bright yellow petals (rarely 6-9), sepals 5, many stamens and pistils.
Habit:
Horizontal
Form:
Creeping / Mat-like
Texture:
Medium
Mature Height:
0.1 - 0.2m
Mature Spread:
0.3 - 0.6m
Growth Rate:
Fast
Origin:
Africa - northern, Central / west Asia, Europe (Naturalized In BC)
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 3: (-40 to -34 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun, Part sun/part shade, Filtered shade, Deep shade
Soil/Growing Medium:
Well-drained
Landscape Uses:
Attract beneficial insects, Wetland - bogs
Additional Info:
Google. Compare to tall buttercup (50-90cm tall; leaves simple, no white blotches).
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Compound
Arrangement:
Alternate, Basal
Texture/Venation:
Soft flexible, Pinnate venation
Surfaces:
Glabrous, Pubescent
Compound Leaf:
Trifoliate (ternate)
Colour in Fall:
Green
Shapes:
Ovate
Apices:
Acute
Bases:
Auriculate
Margins:
Pinnately lobed
Inflorescence Type:
Flowers solitary
Flower Morphology:
Flowers perfect
Number Of Petals:
5
Corolla Shape:
Rotate/stellate
Ovary Position:
Superior
Colour (petals):
Showy, Yellow
Flower Scent:
None
Flower Time at Peak:
Jun, Jul, Aug
Fruit Type:
Aggregate fruit, Achene
Fruit Colour:
Green
Fruiting Time:
Oct, Nov
Additional Info:
Not showy
Bark or Stem Colour:
Green
Organ Modifications:
Fibrous-like roots, Rhizomes, Runners (or stolons)
Propagation:
Seed, Layering, Division - below ground parts
Maintenance:
High
Other:
Can quickly spread to become a weeding nightmare in lawns
Pest Susceptibility:
Fungal leaf spot, Leaf miner insect, Mites, Rust, Slugs or snails, Virus
Course(s):
- HORT 1155
- Level 2 Apprenticeship
Location(s):
- (BUG) BUG garden
- (WDY) WeeDY location