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Prairie Buttercup

Ranunculus rhomboideus

Family:

Buttercup family - Ranunculaceae

One of the first flowers to bloom in April, they are often in flower at the same time as the Prairie Crocus. Look for tiny shining buttercups peeking out from under the dead grass.

Prairie buttercup plant blooming yellow flowers in mid-May

Mounded prairie buttercup plant covered in yellow flowers in mid-May

Yellow prairie buttercup flowers blooming amongst grasses in mid-May

Close-up of a single yellow prairie buttercup flower

Close-up view of yellow prairie buttercup flowers growing at Nisku prairie

Woodland garden

Rock garden

Details

Emerges

April

Seed collection

Flowers

April, May

Yellow

July

Height

5

-

15

cm

Lifecycle

Perennial

Width

-

20

cm

Habit

Forbs

Herbaceous

Ecology

Supports

Songbirds

Bees

Butterflies & Moths

Providing

Seeds

Small perennial of open forests and rocky outcrops.

Habitat

Typically found in

open woods, prairie

In the Garden

Growing Conditions

Moisture

Average

Moist

Light

Full sun

Soil

Average garden soil

Propagation

Via

Seeds

Sowing Recommendations

Fall planting

Low or difficult germination

Landscape

Use for:

Rock garden

Groundcover

Border

Growing Tips

Sew seeds outside in fall, or stratify in late winter to start inside. Cover lightly and keep moist while germinating.

Description

Basal leaves form a rosette with hairy, undivided blades; upright stems with smaller deeply lobed leaves; flowers yellow with 5 petals, longer than the sepals.

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