Sweden wildflowers: Meadow buttercup

Ranunculus acris, Ranunculus acer, Ranunculus stevenii, SE: Smörblomma,
DE: Scharfer Hahnenfuß, NL: Boterbloem, UK: Meadow buttercup, Tall buttercup


Scientific name:		Ranunculus acris L.
Synonym name:		Ranunculus acer Auct., Ranunculus stevenii Beck
Swedish name:		Smörblomma, solöga, vanlig smörblomma
German name:		Scharfer Hahnenfuß
Nederlandse naam:		Boterbloem
English name:		Meadow buttercup, Tall buttercup
Family:		Ranunculaceae, Ranunkelväxter


Life form:		Perennial herb
Stems:		Fibrous-rooted stem-base, sometimes with rhizomes; stems single, erect or nearly so, 20-110 cm tall, stiff-hairy or smooth, hollow.
Leaves:		Divided virtually to base into three lobes
Flowers:		Glossy yellow flowers (about 25 mm across). Five overlapping petals borne above 5 green sepals that turn yellow as the flower matures
Flowering Period:		May-September
Fruits:		Achenes, 15 to 50 in a globe-shaped head 5-7 mm wide, the achenes egg-shaped, 2-3 mm long, 1.8-2.4 mm wide, smooth, margins prominent, keeled; beaks wide and flattened, 0.2-1 mm long, tip of variable length, curved or straight, awl-tipped.
Habitat:		Througout the country

Ranunculus acris, Smörblomma,Scharfer Hahnenfuß,Boterbloem, Meadow buttercup, Tall buttercup

Derivation of the botanical name:
Ranunculus from Latin rana, "little frog," because many species tend to grow in moist places.
acris, acer, sharp, irritating, pungent.

The standard author abbreviation L. is used to indicate Carl Linnaeus (1707 – 1778), a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, the father of modern taxonomy.
The standard author abbreviation auct. is used to indicate the Latin term 'auctorum', meaning "of authors", often given to indicate that a name is used in the sense of a number of subsequent authors and not in its (different) sense as established by the original author.
The standard author abbreviation Beck is used to indicate Günther von Mannagetta and Lërchenau Beck (1856 – 1931), an Austrian botanist.

Owing to its acrid properties Ranunculus acris is usually avoided by cattle.
Ranunculus acris, Smörblomma,Scharfer Hahnenfuß,Boterbloem, Meadow buttercup, Tall buttercup