Ranunculus sceleratus
| Ranunculus sceleratus | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |   |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Self Pollinated | |
| Height: | 2' |
| Blooms: | Late Spring-Early Fall |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Ranunculus sceleratus (common name: celery-leaved buttercup)
Propagation: Seed - sow spring in a cold frame. This plant is unlikely to need much assistance.
Division in spring.
Cultivation: A plant of boggy soils and shallow water, it prefers a loamy soil and a sunny position.
A greedy plant, inhibiting the growth of nearby plants, especially legumes[1].
Range: Europe, including Britain, mainly in northern and central areas..
Habitat: In and by slow streams, ditches and shallow ponds of mineral rich water and muddy bottoms, avoiding acid soils[2].
Edibility: Young plant cooked[3][4]. It is said to be not unwholesome if the plant is boiled and the water thrown away[5] and then the plant cooked again[6]. Caution is strongly advised, see the notes above on toxicity and below on medicinal uses.
Medicinal: The celery-leafed buttercup is one of the most virulent of our native plants[5]. The whole plant is acrid, anodyne, antispasmodic, diaphoretic and emmenagogue and rubefacient[7][8]. When bruised and applied to the skin it raises a blister and creates a sore that is by no means easy to heal. If chewed it inflames the tongue and produces violent effects[5]. The herb should be used fresh since it loses its effects when dried[7].
The leaves and the root are used externally as an antirheumatic[9].
The seed is tonic and is used in the treatment of colds, general debility, rheumatism and spermatorrhoea[9].
Usage: An extract of the leaves can be used as a fungicide[10].
Pollinators: Flies, self
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Known Hazards: All parts of the plant are poisonous when fresh, the toxins are destroyed by heat or by drying[5][11][12][7][10]. The plant also has a strongly acrid juice that can cause blistering to the skin[10][13].
Links
References
- ↑ Hatfield, Audrey. How to Enjoy your Weeds. Frederick Muller Ltd, 1974.
- ↑ Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ Manandhar, Narayan. Plants and People of Nepal. Timber Press, 2002.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Lust, John. The Herb Book. Bantam Books, 1983.
- ↑ Chopra, R. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants. Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi, 1986.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Duke, James and Edward Ayensu. Medicinal Plants of China. Reference Publications, 1985.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Frohne, Dietrich and Hans Pfänder. J. A Colour Atlas of Poisonous Plants. Timber Press, 1984.
- ↑ Altmann, Horst. Poisonous Plants and Animals. Chatto and Windus, 1980.
- ↑ Stary, Frantisek. Poisonous Plants. Hamlyn, 1983.
- ↑ Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.