Ranunculus muricatus
L.
Pile wort
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Summary
Source: WikipediaRanunculus muricatus is a species of buttercup known by the common names rough-fruited buttercup and spinyfruit buttercup. It is native to Europe, but it can be found in many other places in the world, including parts of Africa, Australia, and the western and eastern United States, as an introduced species and agricultural and roadside weed. It grows in wet habitats, such as irrigation ditches. It is an annual or sometimes biennial herb producing a mostly hairless stem up to half a meter long which may grow erect or decumbent along the ground. The leaves have blades a few centimetres in length which are deeply divided into three lobes or split into three leaflets. They are hairless to hairy in texture, and are borne at the tips of long petioles. The flower has five shiny yellow petals under 1 centimetre (0.4 in) long around a lobed central receptacle studded with many stamens and pistils. The fruit is a spiny achene borne in a spherical cluster of 10 to 20.
Description
An annual buttercup reaching 30cm tall. Hermaphroditic flowers are fly-pollinated. Tolerates light sandy, medium loamy, and heavy clay soils across mildly acidic to basic pH. Grows in semi-shaded woodland or full sun, preferring moist soil.
Edible Uses
None known.
Traditional Uses
The fresh young shoots are eaten raw in salads or cooked as a vegetable. They are eaten before the plant flowers.
This uses section is brief — help expand it
Medicinal Uses
The plant is used in the treatment of intermittent fevers, gout, and asthma.
Known Hazards
All parts of the plant are poisonous when fresh, the toxins are destroyed by heat or by drying. The plant also has a strongly acrid juice that can cause blistering to the skin.
Distribution
It is a Mediterranean climate plant. In Argentina it grows from sea level to 1,000 m above sea level.
Where It Grows
Africa, Argentina, Asia, Australia, Balkans, Bosnia, Central Asia, Croatia, India, Jordan, Korea, Libya, Mediterranean, Middle East, North Africa, NW India, Saudi Arabia, South America, Tajikistan, Tasmania,
Cultivation
A weed of arable land. A greedy plant, inhibiting the growth of nearby plants, especially legumes.
Propagation
Sow seed in spring directly in situ.
Other Uses
None known.
Other Information
It is sold in local markets.
Also Known As
Hwaireh, Thul hakh
References (4)
- Al-Qura'n, S. A., 2010, Ethnobotanical and Ecological Studies of Wild Edible Plants in Jordan. Libyan Agriculture Research Center Journal International 1(4):231-243
- Mahklouf, M. H., 2019, Ethnobotanical Study of Edible Wild Plants in Libya. European Journal of Ecology. 5(2): 30-40
- Luczaj et al, 2013, Wild vegetable mixes sold in the markets of Dalmatia (southern Croatia). Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine. 8:2
- Luczaj, L. et al, 2014, Wild Food Plants of Dalmatia (Croatia). in A. Pieroni, C. L. Quave (eds.), Ethnobotany and Biocultural Diversities in the Balkans, p 142
