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White water crowfoot

Ranunculus aquatilis

Also called Common Water-crowfoot, Water Crowfoot, White Water Buttercup

White water crowfoot
Photo: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0

White water crowfoot is an aquatic buttercup that forms floating mats on the surface of still or slow-moving water, with white flowers held just above the surface. It is a pond or stream plant, not a houseplant, and grows best with its roots in cool, clear water.

Family
Ranunculaceae (Buttercup family)
Grows as
Aquatic
Light
Full sun
Water
Grow submerged in pond or stream water; it does not need watering in the usual sense.
Soil
Grows rooted in mud or silt at the bottom of a pond or stream, or floats freely.
Temperature
Tolerates cool water and cold winters; suited to temperate climates.
How easy
Easy
Safety
Toxic: All parts contain protoanemonin, which can irritate skin and mouth and cause stomach upset if eaten.. Toxic to cats and dogs (ASPCA).
Native range
Europe, NW. Africa
Climate
temperate

About

Ranunculus aquatilis, the common water-crowfoot or white water-crowfoot, is a plant species of the genus Ranunculus, native throughout most of Europe and western North America, and also northwest Africa.

This is an aquatic plant, growing in mats on the surface of water. It has branching thread-like underwater leaves and toothed floater leaves. In fast flowing water the floaters may not be grown. The flowers are white petaled with yellow centres and are held a centimetre or two above the water. The floater leaves are used as props for the flowers and are grown at the same time.

Other Ranunculus plants

Littleleaf buttercup · Aconite-leaf buttercup · Meadow buttercup · Asian Buttercup · Brackish Water-crowfoot · St. Anthony's turnip · Ranunculus calandrinioides · California buttercup · Greater creeping spearwort · Glacier buttercup · Ranunculus gramineus · Ivy buttercup

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Ranunculus aquatilis by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.

The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.

Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.

Pet safety from the ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant lists.

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