Ranunculus sceleratus

Cursed crowfoot

Habitus (CC BY-SA 3.0) H. Zell

Short Description

The cursed crowfoot can grow up to 90 cm tall.

The leaves grow close to the ground or singly and alternately on the stem. A leaf is divided into three to five sections. The segments are incised, shiny and somewhat fleshy.

The stem is hollow, upright and branched in the upper part. It is glabrous to slightly hairy.

The light yellow flower has five petals arranged in a round shape. The flower stalk is grooved.

The fruits are roundish nutlets, which are numerous on a cylindrical infructescence.

Features

Cursed crowfoot

Ranunculus sceleratus
  • poisonous

  • shiny leaves

  • cylindrical fruit heads

Blüten und Fruchtstände (CC BY-SA 4.0) Agnieszka Kwiecień

In the city

The cursed buttercup is a pioneer on wet, nutrient-rich mud. It also sometimes stands in water. It is found on the edges of ponds, swamps, lakes and ditches. In the city it occasionally grows on rubble sites.

Fun Facts

  • The flowering period is from June to October.

  • It is an annual plant, i.e. the plant dies after the seeds have ripened.

  • Endangerment level Germany: not endangered
  • It is widespread in the northern hemisphere and occurs in both Eurasia and North America. It is native to Germany.

  • It is the most poisonous native buttercup species. All parts of the plant are poisonous and can cause skin irritation, dizziness, fainting or death.

Habitus (CC BY-SA 4.0) Stefan.lefnaer

Sources

Habitus, H. Zell, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ranunculus_sceleratus_002.JPG

Blüten und Fruchtstände, Agnieszka Kwiecień, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ranunculus_sceleratus_Jaskier_jadowity_2017-06-16_04.jpg

Habitus, Stefan.lefnaer, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ranunculus_sceleratus_sl25.jpg

Kammer, P. M. (2016) Pflanzen einfach bestimmen. Schritt für Schritt einheimische Arten kennenlernen, Bern: Haupt Verlag.

Spohn, M., Golte-Bechtle, M. & Spohn, R. (2015) Was blüht denn da? Stuttgart: Franckh Kosmos Verlag.

Page „Gift-Hahnenfuß“. : Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Date of last revision: 08.04.2018, 13:59 UTC. URL: https://de.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gift-Hahnenfu%C3%9F&oldid=176265620 (Accessed: 24.08.2018).