Ranunculus repens - Creeping Buttercup

Family:	Ranunculaceae
Habit:	Perennial
Height:	0.3
Width:	1
Synonyms:
Range:	Europe, including Britain, from Norway south and east to Spain, through Asia to China and Japan.

Ranunculus repens (Creeping Buttercup) is a Perennial which grows to a height of 0.3m and a width of 1m . It has a fast growth rate. It has a hardness rating of 0and is vunerable to frost.
Creeping Buttercup will flower in November to February. The flowers from this plant are hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and they are pollinated by Bees, flies, beetles

Soil Information

Creeping Buttercup 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
Creeping Buttercup prefers moist soils

Ideal Planting Locations

Creeping Buttercup can grow in semi or areas with no shade.

Wet meadows, pastures, woods, dune slacks etc[19]. A common and rampant weed, avoiding acid soils[19].

Planting places suited to this plant described below.

• Grows within a woodland garden
• Works within dappled Shade
• Grows in a shady edge
• Suits a meadow

Cultivation Details

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[K]. A greedy plant, inhibiting the growth of nearby plants, especially legumes[54].

Edible Uses*

* See disclaimer
Edible Rating: 1/5
Leaves - cooked and used as a pot-herb[2, 105]. A famine food, used when all else fails, and I would rather give it a miss even then[K]! See the notes above on toxicity. Root - must be dried beforehand and thoroughly cooked[118]. Personally, I would rather give this one a miss[K], see the notes above on toxicity.

• Leaves -
• Root - includes bulbs, corms, tubers, rhizomes etc.

Medicinal Uses*

* See disclaimer
Medicinal Rating: 1/5
The entire plant is analgesic and rubefacient[257]. A poultice of the chewed leaves has been used in the treatment of sores, muscular aches and rheumatic pains[257]. 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.

Propagation

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.

Known Hazards

All parts of the plant are poisonous[19], the toxins being destroyed by heat or by drying[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

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