Yellow water buttercup
Ranunculus flabellaris · Aquatic plants
Up close · Photo: Tom Scavo / CC BY
Also called Yellow water crowfoot
How to identify Yellow water buttercup
- Underwater leaves divided into flat, forked segments
- Bright yellow flowers held above the water
- Stranded plants form small land rosettes with lobed leaves
Similar plants
White water buttercup has white flowers and threadlike leaves, and small yellow water buttercup is much smaller with small, rounded floating leaves.
Growth profile
| Growing season | Starts growing in early spring, flowers from May to July, and persists on exposed mud as water drops; overwinters as rooted stems and seed. |
|---|---|
| Starts growing | About 45 to 50 F water |
| Light | Needs moderate light in shallow water |
| Depth | Moist shoreline to 3 feet |
| How it spreads | Seeds and rooting stems |
| Habitat | Shallow ponds, marsh pools and slow stream backwaters over mud, often where water levels drop in summer. |
Why it matters in a lake
Thrives where water levels rise in spring and fall in summer. Seldom forms nuisance growth.
Where it is found
- Idaho: Occasional
- Oregon: Occasional
- Wyoming: Occasional
Classification
| Kingdom | Plantae |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Tracheophyta |
| Class | Magnoliopsida |
| Order | Ranunculales |
| Family | Ranunculaceae |
| Scientific name | Ranunculus flabellaris |
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White water buttercup
Slender naiadNeed a hand?
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