Ranunculus laxicaulis
mississippi butter-cup, mississippi buttercup
Family
Ranunculaceae
Leaf Arrangement
alternate, basal (rosulate)
Leaf Attachment
petiolate, sessile
Leaf Margin
entire, dentate, serrulate
Leaf Type
cauline, simple
Leaf Shape
linear, oblong, elliptic, lanceolate, oblanceolate, ovate
Growth Form
forb
Flower Color
yellow
Flower Month
March - July
Height (meters)
0.2 - 1.0
Milky Sap
No
Armed/Unarmed
Unarmed
Origin
native
Lifespan
annual, perennial
Growing Season
Cool season
Wetland Class
OBL
Prairie Coefficient of Conservatism
2
Animal Use
The following information is for the genus Ranunculus: Animals that eat its seeds: Sora rail, Meadow mouse, Pine mouse. Animals that eat the plant and its seeds: Wood duck, Wild turkey, Muskrat, Cottontail rabbit, Eastern skunk, Fox squirrel, Gray squirrel (Martin et al. 1951).
Natural History
Grows on the shores of lakes, ditches, and marshes in the northern and prairie parishes of Louisiana and southeast Texas.
Habitat
Boggy shores of lakes, in depressions, ditches, and marshes.