Buttercup
(Ranunculus genus)
Buttercups are a large genus of flowering plants called Ranunculus. They have yellow, shiny petals, and grow wild in many places. There are between 200 and 600 species in this one genus.
The common types of buttercup in our area are the creeping buttercup and the meadow or bulbous buttercup. The meadow and bulbous buttercup are more likely to be found in grassland, whereas the creeping buttercup is to be found in damp places in woodlands, roadsides and gardens.
A buttercup flower has five bright yellow petals and five green sepals. Plants flower from late spring with a long flowering season.
Fascinating fact:
Buttercups get their bright colour from yellow pigments in the petals’ surface layer. Their shiny gloss is thanks to layers of air just beneath the surface that reflect the light like mirrors. This glowing phenomenon is unique in plants, although something similar happens with some butterfly and bird wings.
The creeping buttercup is tolerant of many soil conditions. It can spread rapidly by means of runners (or stolons). These spread out from the parent plant and produce roots at nodes along the runner. Where these roots take hold, a daughter plant may be formed.
A daughter plant is genetically identical to the parent and to any other daughter plants formed from the same parent plant. The creeping buttercup can therefore reproduce both sexually and asexually (or vegetatively).
Uses
Buttercups have been used in the past to treat rheumatism and fevers.
Myths and legend
Hold a fresh buttercup flower under the chin of a friend: if a yellow reflection from the flower’s shiny petals can be seen under the chin, the person is said to ‘like butter’.
It was thought that the colour of the flowers got into the milk cows ate, giving rise to yellow butter.
Did you know
Buttercups are poisonous to eat for humans and cattle, but when dry the poison is not active.