Ranunculus sceleratus
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: Celery-Leaved Buttercup
General Information
Ranunculus sceleratus is a perennial plant that can grow up to 0.60 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and source of materials.
Known Hazards
All parts of the plant are poisonous when fresh, the toxins are destroyed by heat or by drying[
4- Title
- A Modern Herbal.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Grieve.
- Publisher
- Penguin
- Year
- 1984
- ISBN
- 0-14-046-440-9
- Description
- Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.
,
10- Title
- Poisonous Plants and Animals.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Altmann. H.
- Publisher
- Chatto and Windus
- Year
- 1980
- ISBN
- 0-7011-2526-8
- Description
- A small book, reasonable but not very detailed.
,
19- Title
- Poisonous Plants.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Stary. F.
- Publisher
- Hamlyn
- Year
- 1983
- ISBN
- 0-600-35666-3
- Description
- Not very comprehensive, but easy reading.
,
21- Title
- The Herb Book.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Lust. J.
- Publisher
- Bantam books
- Year
- 1983
- ISBN
- 0-553-23827-2
- Description
- Lots of information tightly crammed into a fairly small book.
,
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, mainly in northern and central areas..
Habitat
In and by slow streams, ditches and shallow ponds of mineral rich water and muddy bottoms, avoiding acid soils[
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.
].
Properties
| Edibility Rating |  |
| Medicinal Rating |  |
| Habit | Perennial |
| Height | 0.60 m |
| Pollinators | Flies, Self |
| Self-fertile | Yes |
| Cultivation Status | Wild |
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- 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
Young plant cooked[
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.
]. It is said to be not unwholesome if the plant is boiled and the water thrown away[
4- Title
- A Modern Herbal.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Grieve.
- Publisher
- Penguin
- Year
- 1984
- ISBN
- 0-14-046-440-9
- Description
- Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.
] and then the plant cooked again[
272- Title
- Plants and People of Nepal
- Publication
-
- Author
- Manandhar. N. P.
- Publisher
- Timber Press. Oregon.
- Year
- 2002
- ISBN
- 0-88192-527-6
- Description
- Excellent book, covering over 1,500 species of useful plants from Nepal together with information on the geography and peoples of Nepal. Good descriptions of the plants with terse notes on their uses.
]. Caution is strongly advised, see the notes above on toxicity and below on medicinal uses.
Medicinal
The celery-leafed buttercup is one of the most virulent of our native plants[
4- Title
- A Modern Herbal.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Grieve.
- Publisher
- Penguin
- Year
- 1984
- ISBN
- 0-14-046-440-9
- Description
- Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.
]. The whole plant is acrid, anodyne, antispasmodic, diaphoretic and emmenagogue and rubefacient[
21- Title
- The Herb Book.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Lust. J.
- Publisher
- Bantam books
- Year
- 1983
- ISBN
- 0-553-23827-2
- Description
- Lots of information tightly crammed into a fairly small book.
,
240- Title
- Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement).
- Publication
-
- Author
- Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C.
- Publisher
- Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi.
- Year
- 1986
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- Very terse details of medicinal uses of plants with a wide range of references and details of research into the plants chemistry. Not for the casual reader.
]. When bruised and applied to the skin it raises a blister and creates a sore that is by no means easy to heal. If chewed it inflames the tongue and produces violent effects[
4- Title
- A Modern Herbal.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Grieve.
- Publisher
- Penguin
- Year
- 1984
- ISBN
- 0-14-046-440-9
- Description
- Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.
]. The herb should be used fresh since it loses its effects when dried[
21- Title
- The Herb Book.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Lust. J.
- Publisher
- Bantam books
- Year
- 1983
- ISBN
- 0-553-23827-2
- Description
- Lots of information tightly crammed into a fairly small book.
].
The leaves and the root are used externally as an antirheumatic[
218- Title
- Medicinal Plants of China
- Publication
-
- Author
- Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S.
- Publisher
- Reference Publications, Inc.
- Year
- 1985
- ISBN
- 0-917256-20-4
- Description
- Details of over 1,200 medicinal plants of China and brief details of their uses. Often includes an analysis, or at least a list of constituents. Heavy going if you are not into the subject.
].
The seed is tonic and is used in the treatment of colds, general debility, rheumatism and spermatorrhoea[
218- Title
- Medicinal Plants of China
- Publication
-
- Author
- Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S.
- Publisher
- Reference Publications, Inc.
- Year
- 1985
- ISBN
- 0-917256-20-4
- Description
- Details of over 1,200 medicinal plants of China and brief details of their uses. Often includes an analysis, or at least a list of constituents. Heavy going if you are not into the subject.
].
Other Uses
An extract of the leaves can be used as a fungicide[
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.
].
Propagation
Seed - sow spring in a cold frame. This plant is unlikely to need much assistance.
Division in spring.
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Useful Temperate Plants Database 2016 by
Ken Fern,
web interface by
Ajna Fern
with help from
Richard Morris.
