Ranunculus repens
L.
Ranunculaceae
The Temperate Database is in the process of being updated, with new records being added and old ones being checked and brought up to date where necessary. This record has not yet been checked and updated.
Common Name: Creeping Buttercup
General Information
Ranunculus repens is a perennial plant that can grow up to 0.30 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[
19- Title
- Poisonous Plants.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Stary. F.
- Publisher
- Hamlyn
- Year
- 1983
- ISBN
- 0-600-35666-3
- Description
- Not very comprehensive, but easy reading.
], the toxins being destroyed by heat or by drying[
65- Title
- A Colour Atlas of Poisonous Plants.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Frohne. D. and Pfänder. J.
- Publisher
- Wolfe
- Year
- 1984
- ISBN
- 0723408394
- Description
- Brilliant. Goes into technical details but in a very readable way. The best work on the subject that I've come across so far.
]. The plant also has a strongly acrid juice that can cause blistering to the skin[
65- Title
- A Colour Atlas of Poisonous Plants.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Frohne. D. and Pfänder. J.
- Publisher
- Wolfe
- Year
- 1984
- ISBN
- 0723408394
- Description
- Brilliant. Goes into technical details but in a very readable way. The best work on the subject that I've come across so far.
,
183- Title
- Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Facciola. S.
- Publisher
- Kampong Publications
- Year
- 1990
- ISBN
- 0-9628087-0-9
- Description
- Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
].
Botanical References
17- Title
- Flora of the British Isles.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Clapham, Tutin and Warburg.
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press
- Year
- 1962
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.
Range
Europe, including Britain, from Norway south and east to Spain, through Asia to China and Japan.
Habitat
Wet meadows, pastures, woods, dune slacks etc[
19- Title
- Poisonous Plants.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Stary. F.
- Publisher
- Hamlyn
- Year
- 1983
- ISBN
- 0-600-35666-3
- Description
- Not very comprehensive, but easy reading.
]. A common and rampant weed, avoiding acid soils[
19- Title
- Poisonous Plants.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Stary. F.
- Publisher
- Hamlyn
- Year
- 1983
- ISBN
- 0-600-35666-3
- Description
- Not very comprehensive, but easy reading.
].
Properties
| Edibility Rating |  |
| Medicinal Rating |  |
| Habit | Perennial |
| Height | 0.30 m |
| Growth Rate | Fast |
| Pollinators | Bees, Flies, Beetles |
| Cultivation Status | Wild |
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- Title
- Plants for a Future
- Author
- Ken Fern
- Description
- Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
].
A greedy plant, inhibiting the growth of nearby plants, especially legumes[
54- Title
- How to Enjoy your Weeds.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Hatfield. A. W.
- Publisher
- Frederick Muller Ltd
- Year
- 1977
- ISBN
- 0-584-10141-4
- Description
- Interesting reading.
].
Edible Uses
Leaves - cooked and used as a pot-herb[
2- Title
- Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Hedrick. U. P.
- Publisher
- Dover Publications
- Year
- 1972
- ISBN
- 0-486-20459-6
- Description
- Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.
,
105- Title
- Tanaka's Cyclopedia of Edible Plants of the World.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Tanaka. T. & Nakao S.
- Publisher
- Keigaku Publishing; Tokyo
- Year
- 1976
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- The most comprehensive list of edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.
]. A famine food, used when all else fails, and I would rather give it a miss even then[
K- Title
- Plants for a Future
- Author
- Ken Fern
- Description
- Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
]! See the notes above on toxicity.
Root - must be dried beforehand and thoroughly cooked[
118- Title
- Ethnobotany of Western Washington.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Gunther. E.
- Publisher
- University of Washington Press
- Year
- 1981
- ISBN
- 0-295-95258-X
- Description
- A small book, it is a good guide to useful plants in Western N. America.
]. Personally, I would rather give this one a miss[
K- Title
- Plants for a Future
- Author
- Ken Fern
- Description
- Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
], see the notes above on toxicity.
Medicinal
The entire plant is analgesic and rubefacient[
257- Title
- Native American Ethnobotany
- Publication
-
- Author
- Moerman. D.
- Publisher
- Timber Press. Oregon.
- Year
- 1998
- ISBN
- 0-88192-453-9
- Description
- Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.
]. A poultice of the chewed leaves has been used in the treatment of sores, muscular aches and rheumatic pains[
257- Title
- Native American Ethnobotany
- Publication
-
- Author
- Moerman. D.
- Publisher
- Timber Press. Oregon.
- Year
- 1998
- ISBN
- 0-88192-453-9
- Description
- Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.
]. Some caution is advised in the use of this plant, see the notes above on toxicity.
Other Uses
None known
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.
If you have any useful information about this plant, please leave a comment. Comments have to be approved before they are shown here.
Useful Temperate Plants Database 2016 by
Ken Fern,
web interface by
Ajna Fern
with help from
Richard Morris.
