Leaf
Michel Gaubert, Tela Botanica · CC BY-SA 2.0
Meadow buttercup
Ranunculus acris L.
Also known as: Tall buttercup, Giant buttercup
Family: Ranunculaceae
30 to 80 cm tall
Meadows, cool lawns
Flowering: May – August
Full sun
Part shade
Very hardy, to -30°C
❓ How do you recognise this plant?
Petals as glossy as varnish — hence the famous game of holding a buttercup under the chin.
🍃 Leaves
Deeply cut into 3 to 7 toothed lobes
🌸 Flowers
Glossy bright yellow, five petals, very shiny in the sun
🍎 Fruits
Small group of achenes with a short beak
🪵 Bark
Erect, hairy herbaceous stem
🗺️ Distribution
Europe, temperate Asia; very common in cool meadows and pastures in France.
🐝 Value for pollinators
Bright yellow flowers rich in nectar, much visited by bees and various insects in meadows.
✂️ Horticultural uses
Rarely grown as an ornamental, rather tolerated in naturalistic wildflower meadows.
⚠️ Possible toxicity
Toxic when fresh (protoanemonin), irritant to the skin and the digestive mucous membranes; toxic to livestock when grazed fresh, harmless once dried in hay.
🌿 Other Ranunculaceae to discover
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.
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