| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Division: | Magnoliophyta |
| Class: | Magnoliopsida |
| Order: | Ranunculales |
| Family: | Ranunculaceae |
| Genus: | Ranunculus | Species: | Ranunculus Bolbosus |
Description
Bulbous Butturcup, (Ranunculus bulbosus) is a perennial weed of the Buttercup Family. It has attractive yellow flowers, and deeply divided, three-lobed long-petioled basal leaves. Bulbous buttercup is known to form tufts. The stems are 20-60 cm tall, erect, branching, and slightly hairy flowering. There are alternate and sessile leaves on the stem. The flower forms at the apex of the stems, and is shiny and yellow with 5-7 petals. The flowers are 1.5-3 cm wide. The plant blooms from April to July. After the plant dies in heat of summer, it survives as an underground corm. Bulbous buttercup gets its name from its distinctive root structure: a bulblike corm. The presence or absence of the corm is the easiest way to tell if a specimen is Ranunculus bulbosus or some other type of buttercup. The other common names include: St. Anthony's turnip, blister flower, and bulbous crowfoot.
Cultivation and Uses
Bulbous buttercup grows in lawns, pastures and fields in general. Although it doesn't generally grow in proper crops, it is often found in hay fields. It grows in both the eastern and western parts of North America, as an introduced weed. HDRA Weed management Buttercups contain poisons 1% glycoside ranunculin in corm, and are avoided by livestock. Note however that the poisons of buttercup are lost upon drying, so any hay containing bulbous buttercup is safe for animal consumption. Protoanemonin is an irritating antibiotic, formed from enzymatic breakdown of ranunculin. In spite of its toxic nature, this plant is listed as an herbal remedy. Used in Homeopathy for subepidermal blistering of the skin especially in summer.
