Ranunculus muricatus
spiny-fruit buttercup, spinyfruit buttercup
Family
Ranunculaceae
Leaf Arrangement
alternate, basal (rosulate)
Leaf Attachment
petiolate
Leaf Margin
cleft, lobed
Leaf Type
cauline, simple
Leaf Shape
reniform, cordate, palmate lobed
Growth Form
forb
Flower Color
yellow
Flower Petals
5
Flower Month
March - June
Height (meters)
0.2 - 0.5
Milky Sap
No
Armed/Unarmed
Unarmed
Origin
introduced
Lifespan
annual, biennial, perennial
Growing Season
Cool season
Wetland Class
FACW
Wetland Coefficient of Conservatism
0
Prairie Coefficient of Conservatism
-1
Field Characters
Leaves palmately lobed. Seeds warty, spiny and green.
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
A European species that is naturalized in North America.
Habitat
Grassy banks, lawns, along roads, sandy marshes, wet soil about ponds and along streams, and ditches. Throughout Louisiana and east Texas.