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Common Name: Meadow Buttercup

General Information

Ranunculus acris is a perennial plant that can grow up to 1.00 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and medicine

Known Hazards

All parts of the plant are poisonous, the toxins can be destroyed by heat or by drying[, , , , , ]. The plant has a strongly acrid juice that can cause blistering to the skin[, ].

Botanical References

Range

Europe, including Britain, from Iceland south and east to Spain, through Asia to China and Japan.

Habitat

Damp meadows and pastures, usually on calcareous or circum-neutral soils[, ]. Also found on damp rock ledges, in gullies and occasionally on mountain top detritus[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	1.00 m
Pollinators	Bees, Flies, Beetles, Lepidoptera
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

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[].

Edible Uses

Leaves - cooked and used as greens[]. Some caution is advised, see the notes above on toxicity.

Medicinal

The whole plant is acrid, anodyne, antispasmodic, diaphoretic and rubefacient[, ]. The plant 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 the treatment of rheumatism etc[].
The flowers and the leaves have been crushed and sniffed as a treatment for headaches[].
An infusion of the roots has been used in the treatment of diarrhoea[]. The poulticed root is also rubefacient and was applied to boils and abscess[, ].
The plant sap has been used to remove warts[]. The sap has also been used as a sedative[].
The flowers are used in Tibetan medicine, where they are considered to have an acrid taste and a heating potency[]. Their use is said to promote heat, dissolve tumours and draw out serous fluids[]. They are used in the treatment of disorders brought about by rotting sores or wounds[].
Use with caution[], the whole plant is extremely acrid and can cause intense pain and burning of the mouth, mucous membranes etc[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in situ. You are very unlikely to need to encourage this plant.
Division in spring. Very easy, though probably totally unnecessary, larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions.