Ranunculus bulbosus
| Ranunculus bulbosus | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 1' |
| Width: | 3' |
| Speed: | Fast |
| Blooms: | Early Spring-Early Summer |
| Meadows | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Ranunculus bulbosus (common name: bulbous buttercup)
Propagation: Seed - sow spring in a cold frame. This species is a common weed and doesn't really need any help from us.
Division in spring. Very easy, though probably totally unnecessary, larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions.
Cultivation: Prefers a moist loamy soil[1].
A common weed of lawns and gardens, it can be very difficult to eradicate when established[2]. It is a polymorphic species[3] and there is at least one named variety which has been selected for its ornamental value[4].
A greedy plant, inhibiting the growth of nearby plants, especially legumes[5].
Range: Europe, including Britain, from Scandanavia south and east to N. Africa and Greece.
Habitat: Meadows, lawns, dry pastures, grassy slopes and fixed dunes, preferring a calcareous sub-strata[3].
Edibility: Leaves - cooked. A famine food used when all else fails[6], and I would rather give it a miss even then[K]!
Root - must be dried beforehand and thoroughly cooked[7][8]. When boiled, the roots are said to become so mild as to be eatable[9], though personally, I would rather give this one a miss as well[K]. See the notes above on toxicity.
Medicinal: The whole plant, and especially the sap, is acrid, anodyne, antispasmodic, diaphoretic, rubefacient[2][10]. It was at one time rubbed on the skin by beggars in order to produce open sores and thereby excite sympathy[2].
The root has been placed in a tooth cavity to act as a painkiller[11].
A decoction of the plant has been used in the treatment of VD[11].
Use this remedy with caution, see the notes above on toxicity[10].
Pollinators: Bees, flies, beetles, lepidoptera
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Known Hazards: All parts of the plant are poisonous, the toxins can be destroyed by heat or by drying[2][12][13][14][15][16]. The plant has a strongly acrid juice that can cause blistering to the skin[16][8].
Links
References
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ Phillips, Roger and Martyn Rix. Perennials - The Definitve Reference. Pan Books, 1991.
- ↑ Hatfield, Audrey. How to Enjoy your Weeds. Frederick Muller Ltd, 1974.
- ↑ Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Lust, John. The Herb Book. Bantam Books, 1983.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ Altmann, Horst. Poisonous Plants and Animals. Chatto and Windus, 1980.
- ↑ Triska, Jan. Encyclopaedia of Plants. Hamlyn, 1975.
- ↑ Stary, Frantisek. Poisonous Plants. Hamlyn, 1983.
- ↑ Elias, Thomas. A Field Guide to North American Edible Wild Plants. Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1982.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Frohne, Dietrich and Hans Pfänder. J. A Colour Atlas of Poisonous Plants. Timber Press, 1984.