SMALL-FLOWERED BUTTERCUP

Ranunculus parviflorus

Buttercup Family [Ranunculaceae]

month8apr month8april month8may month8jun month8june month8jul month8july month8aug month8sep month8sept month8oct month8nov month8dec

status
statusZnative
flower
flower8yellow
inner
inner8green
morph
morph8actino
petals
petalsZ5
stem
stem8round
toxicity
toxicityZlowish
sex
sexZbisexual

27th May 2015, Brading Harbour, nr. Sandown Bay, IOW Photo: (CC by 2.0) Geoff Toone
The jizz of the plant is evident here.


6th May 2010, Brading Down, nr Sandown Bay, IOW. Photo: (CC by 2.0) Geoff Toone
Herewith follow some untrampled specimens: The flowers are small, several top left, a few others scattered around top right, and one at the bottom displaying 5 yellow/green petals.


6th May 2010, Brading Down, nr Sandown Bay, IOW. Photo: (CC by 2.0) Geoff Toone
The lower leaves have between 3 and 5 lobes. Several flowers top left. [Those blue ones in bottom right are og something else]


6th May 2010, Brading Down, nr Sandown Bay, IOW. Photo: (CC by 2.0) Geoff Toone
All the flowers I have seen photos of here seem to have petals missing (similar to those of Goldilocks Buttercup).


Spring, Swanage, South East Dorset. Photo: © Peter Andrews
Likes to occupy bare ground in open places, but not wet ground. These leaves are possibly basal leaves; they seem to have differing teeth than the leaves on the other sets of photos.


Spring, Swanage, South East Dorset. Photo: © Peter Andrews
It does grow erect at up to 40cm high, but this specimen may have been trodden on early in life? The flowers have the normal 5 petals but here some are missing. The lower leaves are lobed with 3 to 5 lobes - here there are no upper leaves, even the flowering stalk is not existent here.


Spring, Swanage, South East Dorset. Photo: © Peter Andrews
The sepals beneath the petals are strongly reflexed downwards, but here there is no further down than ground level!


6th May 2010, Brading Down, nr Sandown Bay, IOW. Photo: (CC by 2.0) Geoff Toone
This flower has gone to fruit. The achenes are between 2.5 to 3.5mm long, without hairs, with short tubercules (knobbly wart-like protruberances) which have minute hooked spines on the flattish sides. The leaves have red tips at each point (hydathodes to expell excess water).


No relation to : Small-flowered Winter-cress (Barbarea stricta), Small-Flowered Crane's-bill (Geranium pusillum), Small-Flowered Evening-Primrose (Oenothera cambrica), Small-flowered Phacelia (Phacelia parviflora), Small-flowered Sweet-briar (Rosa micrantha), Small-flowered Tongue-orchid (Serapias parviflora) or Small-Flowered Catchfly (Silene gallica) [plants with similar names belonging to differing families].

It is native and is found on dry and bare places on limey soils which are sparsely populated by other plants, it is even found in farmers field amidst crops. It is especially fond of being near the coast in South West England and South Wales. Elsewhere scattered in England.


USE BY BUTTERFLIES
LAYS EGGS ON CATERPILLAR CHRYSALIS BUTTERFLY
Grizzled Skipper



  Ranunculus parviflorus  ⇐ Global Aspect ⇒ Ranunculaceae  

Distribution
 family8Buttercup family8Ranunculaceae
 BSBI maps
genus8Ranunculus
Ranunculus
(Buttercups)

SMALL-FLOWERED BUTTERCUP

Ranunculus parviflorus

Buttercup Family [Ranunculaceae]