Ranunculus flammula - Lesser Spearwort

Family:	Ranunculaceae
Habit:	Perennial
Height:	0.6
Synonyms:
Range:	Most of Europe, including Britain, to temperate Asia.

Ranunculus flammula (Lesser Spearwort) is a Perennial which grows to a height of 0.6m . It has a hardness rating of 5.
Lesser Spearwort will flower in November to March. The flowers from this plant are hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and they are pollinated by Flies, bees, self

Soil Information

Lesser Spearwort will grow in light (sandy),medium (loamy),hard (clay) soil. It is not necessary for the soil to be well drained.
The soil prefers the following PH / acid levels :
- pH of less than 6, Acidic soils
- pH between 6 and 8, Neutral soils
- pH greater than 8, Basic soils
Lesser Spearwort prefers soils

Ideal Planting Locations

Lesser Spearwort can grow in semi or areas with no shade.

Common in wet places throughout Britain[4].

Planting places suited to this plant described below.

• Is a pond plant
• A bog garden plant

Cultivation Details

A plant of boggy soils and shallow water, it prefers a loamy soil and a sunny position. A greedy plant, inhibiting the growth of nearby plants, especially legumes[54].

Edible Uses*

* See disclaimer
Edible Rating: 0/5
None known

Medicinal Uses*

* See disclaimer
Medicinal Rating: 1/5
The whole plant is strongly rubefacient[4]. A tincture of the plant is used to cure ulcers[4].

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in situ. This plant does not really need any encouragement. Division in spring. Very easy, larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found that it is better to pot up the smaller divisions and grow them on in light shade in a cold frame until they are well established before planting them out in late spring or early summer.

Known Hazards

All parts of the plant are poisonous when fresh, the toxins are destroyed by heat or by drying[4, 10, 19, 21, 65]. The plant also has a strongly acrid juice that can cause blistering to the skin[65, 183].

Other Uses

None known

Cultivars

no recorded cultivars

References

Flora of the British Isles.
Clapham, Tootin and Warburg.
Author: Clapham, Tootin and Warburg.
Rating:
Publisher : A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.
Date of Publication : 1962

The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
Huxley. A.
Author: Huxley. A.
Rating:
Publisher : Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
Date of Publication : 1992

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