Minnesota Wildflowers


or try: advanced plant search
Make a Donation!
Share |

Ranunculus flabellaris (Yellow Water Buttercup)

Plant Info
Also known as: Yellow Water Crowfoot
Genus:Ranunculus
Family:Ranunculaceae (Buttercup)
Life cycle:perennial
Origin:native
Habitat:part shade, sun; shallow, calm water, muddy ditches
Bloom season:April - June
Plant height:6 to 18 inches above water
USDA PLANTS database: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: Flower shape: 5-petals

[photo of flower] One to a few flowers on a stout, usually naked stem rising out of the water. Flowers are ½ to 1 inch across with 5 (occasionally more) shiny yellow petals, numerous orange to yellow stamens around a green center, and 5 spreading yellowish green sepals that are shorter than the petals. One plant may have many flowers, at the end of branching stems.

Leaves and stem: Leaf attachment: alternate Leaf type: lobed

Most of the plant is submerged, except when stranded in mud. Leaves are divided into many narrow segments, semi-circular to kidney shaped in outline, ½ to 4 inches long and wide. Submerged leaves are more finely divided than those above the surface of the water. Stems are stout but weak, and hollow.

Notes:

A similar aquatic species is Ranunculus gmelinii, Small Yellow Water Buttercup, which has smaller flowers with sepals about as long as the petals, and smaller leaves that are less finely divided.

Where to buy native seed and plants

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

  • Prairie Restorations - Bringing people together with the land
  • Shop for native seeds and plants at PrairieMoon.com!
  • Out Back Nursery and Landscaping - Where Ecology and Horticulture Unite
  • Shooting Star Native Seeds - Native Prairie Grass and Wildflower Seeds
  • Landscape Alternatives - Distinctive Native Plants since 1986!

Map of native plant purveyors in the upper midwest

More photos

Photos courtesy Peter M. Dziuk, taken along a backwater of the Mississippi River in Aitkin County

Comments

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

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 and neighboring states may not be posted because I’d like to keep the focus of this web site centered on Minnesota. Thanks for your understanding.