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California Buttercup
( Ranunculus californicus )
Ranunculus californicus
More Photos at CalPhotos
More Info at Jepson eFlora
Calflora
Click on blue squares to see occurrence records.
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About California Buttercup (Ranunculus californicus)
25 Nurseries Carry This Plant
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The California buttercup (
Ranunculus californicus
), a perennial herb of the Ranunculaceae family, brightens much of California (except the deserts) with 3/4 inch, remarkably glossy, deep yellow flowers, each with 9 to 17 petals. Their native habitat extends into Baja California, Oregon, and some Pacific coast islands. There are two recognized Varieties: Var californicus is widespread and the flowers rise above the basal leaves on 1 ft to 2ft branching stems. Var cuneatus is found primarily on the north-central coast and blooms from short stems, giving this variety the look of a low ground cover. By mid-summer the flowers have shed seed, and the plant is dormant. New seedlings readily volunteer in late winter to spring. Propagate easily by seed from seed companies and local exchanges. Nursery plants may occasionally be available.
For the garden, plant this buttercup in front of the border and in meadows with native annuals and bulbs, blue-eyed grass, shooting stars, woolly blue-curls, and other natives that require little, if any, supplemental summer irrigation. Buttercups are not only worthy cut flowers but also a good source of nutrition. Toast them in a frying pan briefly. Use in porridge or grind and add to baked goods. Don't miss this easy to grow and quite appealing native. Often riparian or semi-riparian in the drier parts of its range.
Plant Description
Plant Type
Perennial Herb
Size
0.6 - 2.3 ft tall
6 in wide
Form
Fountain
Growth Rate
Fast
Dormancy
Summer Deciduous
Flower Color
Yellow
Flowering Season
Winter, Spring
Wildlife Supported
A variety of insects are attracted to the flowers, especially native bees
Butterflies & moths hosted ( 3
likely
* )
SHOW ALL
*
Purple-Lined Sallow
Pyrrhia exprimens
Pyrrhia exprimens
*
Hitched Arches
Melanchra adjuncta
Melanchra adjuncta
*
White Triangle Tortrix
Clepsis persicana
Clepsis persicana
Landscaping Information
Sun
Part Shade, Full Sun
Moisture
Moderate - High, Low
Summer Irrigation
Never irrigate once established
Nurseries
Carried by 25
Ease of Care
Very Easy
Cold Tolerance
Tolerates cold to 10° F
Soil Drainage
Fast, Medium, Slow
Soil Description
Adaptable. Soil PH: 5 - 8
Common uses
Bee Gardens
Companion Plants
Dodecatheon clevelandii
(
Shooting Star
),
Sisyrinchium bellum
(
Blue-eyed Grass
), Trichostema lancolatum (wooly blue-curls)
Maintenance
Cut plant to the ground as it goes dormant in summer.
Propagation
?
Allow seed pods to dry on the plant. In late winder/spring, the seeds will sprout nicely in situ. No special treatment is needed for seeds collected for propagation offsite.
Sunset Zones
?
2, 3, 4*, 5*, 6*, 7, 8, 9, 14*, 15*, 16*, 17*, 18*, 19*, 20*, 21*, 22, 23, 24
Natural Setting
Site Type
Many and varied wet and dry places from the coast ranges to foothill grasslands to meadows and woodlands below about 7,000 ft. Often found in open areas.
Climate
Annual Precipitation: 6.3" - 87.4", Summer Precipitation: 0.14" - 3.00", Coldest Month: 27.0" - 56.0", Hottest Month: 50.0" - 84.0", Humidity: 0.07" - 34.82", Elevation: -293" - 8087"
Alternative Names
Common Names
: Common Buttercup
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California Buttercup
Ranunculus californicus
Sources include:
Wikipedia
. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License
. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the
California Consortia of Herbaria
, Sunset information provided by
Jepson Flora Project
. Propogation from seed information provided by the
Santa Barbara Botanical Garden
from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include
CalPhotos
,
Wikimedia Commons
, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include
Calflora
,
CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online
,
Jepson Flora Project
,
Las Pilitas
,
Theodore Payne
,
Tree of Life
,
The Xerces Society
, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from
PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University
, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.
Links:
Jepson eFlora Taxon Page
CalPhotos
Wikipedia
Calflora
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