Species

Ranunculus flammula

Etymology

Ranunculus: From the Latin 'rana' frog, meaning little frog and probably refers to the plants typical marshy habit where frogs abound

Common Name(s)

spearwort

Authority

Ranunculus flammula L.

Family

Ranunculaceae

Brief Description

R. flammula is a perennial herb with bright yellow, butter-cup like flowers. The leaves are linear to lance-shaped, upright and not divided.

Flora Category

Vascular - Exotic

NVS Species Code

RANFLA

The National Vegetation Survey (NVS) Databank is a physical archive and electronic databank containing records of over 94,000 vegetation survey plots - including data from over 19,000 permanent plots. NVS maintains a standard set of species code abbreviations that correspond to standard scientific plant names from the Ngä Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plants database.

Structural Class

Dicotyledonous Herbs other than Composites

Distribution

Throughout most of the North and South Island.

Habitat

Wet sites such as drains, ditches, ponds and swamps.

Features

A fleshy perennial herb with small pale yellow flowers (1o to 15 mm in diameter). Stems are slender, creeping or upright to 50 cm or more long. The leaves at the base of the stems are up to 8 cm long, and occur on stems up to 10 cm long. The stem leaves are comparatively smaller, lanceolate, entire or finely toothed.

Similar Taxa

No other buttercup (Ranunculus) has an undivided lanceolate leaf.

Flowering

October to March

Flower Colours

Yellow

Fruiting

Autumn

Year Naturalised

1907

Origin

Europe, Caucasus, Northwest Africa

Reason for Introduction

Unknown, possibly a seed contaminant or ornamental pond plant

Control Techniques

Not usually controlled in New Zealand, but may be controlled manually, mechanically or herbicidally depending on situation.

Life Cycle and Dispersal

Water fowl feed on fruit and disperse seed and also seeds may be dispersed by water movement.

Attribution

Factsheet prepared by Paul Champion and Deborah Hofstra (NIWA).

References and further reading

Popay et al (2010).  An illustrated guide to common weeds of New Zealand, third edition.  NZ Plant Protection Society Inc, 416pp.

Johnson PN, Brooke PA (1989).  Wetland plants in New Zealand.   DSIR Field Guide, DSIR Publishing, Wellington. 319pp.

Coffey BT, Clayton JS (1988).  New Zealand water plants:  a guide to plants found in New Zealand freshwaters.  Ruakura Agricultural Cente. 65pp

This page last updated on 21 Aug 2013