As I write this in mid-June, my Early Buttercups are long finished blooming and have gone to seed. However, I chose to include them this month simply because I captured an amazing photo of the seed head a couple of weeks ago (which was the subject of this month’s jigsaw puzzle elsewhere on my website – you can access it at https://nativeplantgardener.ca/june-jigsay-puzzle/) and it has me thinking about this plant.
As usual, the Plant Description and In the Garden sections are courtesy of Shaun Booth from In Our Nature.
Scientific Name: Ranunculus fascicularis
Common Name: Early Buttercup
Family: Ranunculaceae (Buttercup Family)
Alternate Common Names: Acrid Crowfoot, Bundle-root Buttercup, Cowslip, Dwarf Buttercup, Early Crowfoot, Low Buttercup, Prairie Buttercup, Thick-root Buttercup, Tufted Buttercup
Plant description: Early Buttercup features both basal leaves and stems. Basal leaves are borne on long, hairy leaf stalks and divided into 3-5 leaflets that each measure about 2.5cm long. Each leaflet is lobed into 3-5 parts and has rounded tips that sometimes have a sharp point. Leaf surfaces are silky-hairy. Flowering stalks rise up from the basal leaves, bearing 1-2 stalkless leaves themselves. These stalks are green to purplish-brown and hairy. At the top of each stalk is a single flower characterized by 5 shiny yellow, oblong petals surrounding a yellow center that turns green with age. Each flower is about 2.5cm wide. Behind the flowers are 5 yellowish-green bracts that are shorter than the petals and covered in spreading hairs. The center of the flower matures into an oval shaped cluster of beaked seeds.
In the Garden: The radiant yellow flowers of Early Buttercup are some of the first blooms you will see in the spring. Great for rock gardens and borders where it can be paired with plants of similar height. Herbivores leave this plant alone.
I have found that my Early Buttercup plant is quite happy in a shallow planter on my deck (along with some other alvar plants).
Skill level: beginner
Lifespan: perennial
Exposure: full sun to full shade
Soil Type: any well drained soil, prefers a rather poor soil containing rocky material or sand
Moisture: dry to medium
Height: 15-20 cm
Spread: 15 cm
Bloom Period: mid-Apr, May
Colour: yellow
Fragrant (Y/N): N
Showy Fruit (Y/N): N
Cut Flower (Y/N): N
Pests: no serious pests
Natural Habitat: dry, open woods and prairies
Wildlife value: a source of pollen for native bees and the seeds are eaten to a limited extent by various game birds and small mammals
Butterfly Larva Host Plant For: none
Moth Larva Host Plant For: Sparganothis Leafroller Moth (Sparganothis sulfureana) –
USDA Hardiness Zone: 3-9
Propagation: The seeds are viable for a relatively short period only. Ideally propagate by sowing just before seeds ripen and keep the soil moist. Germination may take some time. Seeds need 60 days of cold moist stratification if starting indoors.
Additional Info: This spring ephemeral goes dormant in the summer. Caution – in some people, contact with cell sap can result in skin redness, burning sensation and blisters. It does not like competition from taller plants. Note: this plant is considered Threatened in Ohio and Endangered in Pennsylvania.
Native Range:
