Ranunculus acris

Ranunculus acris is a species of flowering plant in the family Ranunculaceae, and is one of the more common buttercups across Europe and temperate Eurasia. Common names include meadow buttercup, tall buttercup, common buttercup and giant buttercup.

Description

A plant which keeps growing from year to year. It grows 60-100 cm high and spreads 60-120 cm wide. The leaves have teeth and 3-7 lobes. The flowers are yellow and in small clusters. They are 25 mm wide.

Edible Uses

Leaves can be eaten cooked as greens. Some caution is advised regarding toxicity.

Traditional Uses

The leaves are cooked and eaten as greens.

This uses section is brief — help expand it

Medicinal Uses

The whole plant is acrid, anodyne, antispasmodic, diaphoretic, and rubefacient. It has been crushed and applied as a poultice to the chest to relieve colds and chest pains. The fresh leaves have been used as a rubefacient in treating rheumatism. The flowers and leaves have been crushed and sniffed to treat headaches. An infusion of the roots has been used for diarrhoea, and the poulticed root, also rubefacient, has been applied to boils and abscesses. The plant sap has been used to remove warts and also as a sedative. In Tibetan medicine, the flowers are considered to have an acrid taste and a heating potency; they are said to promote heat, dissolve tumours, and draw out serous fluids, and are used to treat disorders arising from rotting sores or wounds. The whole plant is extremely acrid and can cause intense pain and burning of the mouth and mucous membranes, so should be used with caution.

Known Hazards

Oils in the plant, probably present in the leaves and stems, contain the glycoside ranunculin, which when ingested can cause abdominal pains and intestinal disorders. When eaten by animals, the buttercups have caused blistering of the tongue and lips, diarrhea and blindness. Other symptoms of poisoning include ventricular fibrillation and respiratory failure.

Distribution

It is a temperate plant. It suits hardiness zones 5-10. Tasmania Herbarium.

Where It Grows

Asia, Australia, Britain, Canada, China, Europe, France, Luxembourg, North America, Norway, Scandinavia, Slovenia, Switzerland, Tasmania, Turkey, Türkiye, USA,

Cultivation

Prefers a moist loamy soil. Grows well in marshy soils. Plants are hardy to at least -20°c. A good plant for the summer meadow. It spreads rapidly by means of runners and is often a weed in lawns or gardens. A polymorphic species, there is at least one named variety. 'Flore Pleno' is a double-flowered form that does not spread by runners and so is unlikely to become a nuisance in the garden. A greedy plant, inhibiting the growth of nearby plants, especially legumes.

Propagation

Sow seed in spring in situ. Division in spring is very easy, though likely unnecessary; larger divisions can be planted directly into their permanent positions.

Other Uses

None known

Notes

There are about 600 Ranunculus species.

Synonyms

Also Known As

Engsoleie, Ripeča zlatica

References (9)

• Cormack, R. G. H., 1967, Wild Flowers of Alberta. Commercial Printers Edmonton, Canada. p 110
• Cundall, P., (ed.), 2004, Gardening Australia: flora: the gardener's bible. ABC Books. p 1130
• Girard, N. J., 2020, Sustainable Foraging of Wild Edible Plants in Norway. A Biocultural Approach. M. Sc. thesis Norwegian University. p 134
• Hibbert, M., 2002, The Aussie Plant Finder 2002, Florilegium. p 245
• http://www.botanic-gardens-ljubljana.com/en/plants

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