Minnesota Wildflowers


or try: advanced plant search
Share |

Ranunculus aquatilis (White Water Crowfoot)

Plant Info
Also known as: Long-beak Buttercup
Genus:Ranunculus
Family:Ranunculaceae (Buttercup)
Life cycle:perennial
Origin:native
Habitat:sun; slow streams, ponds, lakes, wet ditches, marshes
Bloom season:June - August
Plant height:1 to 6 inches above water
County distribution (click map to enlarge):Minnesota county distribution map

Pick an image for a larger view. Most image enlargements are 50-100KB, though some may be larger. See the glossary for icon descriptions.

Detailed Information

Flower: 5-petals

[photo of flower] A single flower on a long naked stalk arising from a leaf axil. Flowers are 1/3 to 2/3 inch across, have 5 oval white petals with a spot of yellow at the base, and many yellow stamens surrounding a yellow center that matures to green. 5 rounded green sepals behind the flower are much shorter than the petals.

Leaves and stem: alternate lobed

[photo of leaves] Leaves are finely divided into many thread-like segments, round to fan-shaped in outline, to ¾ inch long and about 1 inch wide, alternately attached. Stems and leaves are all submersed and mostly hairless.

Notes:

There are 2 varieties of Ranunculus aquatilis in North America; var. aquatilis is a more western species and var. diffusus is found in Minnesota as well as much of the US. This aquatic species also commonly goes by Latin name Ranunculus longirostris.

Where to buy native seed and plants

Help support this site by buying seeds & plants from these vendors. Tell them we sent you!

  • Out Back Nursery and Landscaping - Where Ecology and Horticulture Unite
  • Shooting Star Native Seeds - Native Prairie Grass and Wildflower Seeds
  • Prairie Restorations - Bringing people together with the land
  • Shop for native seeds and plants at PrairieMoon.com!

Map of native plant purveyors in the upper midwest

More photos

Photos courtesy Peter M. Dziuk taken in Anoka and Isanti counties

Comments

Have you seen this plant in Minnesota, or have any other comments about it?

Posted by: Diane in Lake Elmo Park Preserve, Eagle Lake
on: 2011-07-04 12:32:02

Spotted 3 masses of white water-crowfoot in flower while canoeing in the evening of July 2nd, 2011. It was calm, high pressure with blue skies. There was a lot of water celery, also in bloom, in approx 20% of the lake. Eagle Lake is non-motorized. We've not seen folks fishing or almost any other canoes/kayaks in the dozen years we've paddled there. High water this year and we didn't see any of the usual herons or egrets, muskrats or the occasional river otter. In "Wildflowers of Wisconsin and the Great Lakes Region" by Black and Judziewicz 2009, this plant is given an 8 out of 10, considered quite high-quality, found in almost all WI counties. Friends and I wish we had a similar field guide for MN.

Post a comment

Note: All comments are moderated before posting to keep the riff-raff out. An email address is required, but will not be posted—it will only be used for information exchange between the 2 of us (if needed) and will never be given to a 3rd party without your express permission.

For info on subjects other than plant identification (gardening, invasive species control, edible plants, etc.), please check the links and invasive species pages for additional resources.



(required)




Note: Comments or information about plants outside of Minnesota may not be posted because I’d like to keep the focus of this web site on Minnesota. Thanks for your understanding.