Ranunculus recurvatus (Hooked buttercup)

Robert H. Mohlenbrock. USDA SCS. 1989. Midwest wetland flora: Field office illustrated guide to plant species. Midwest National Technical Center, Lincoln. Courtesy of USDA NRCS Wetland Science Institute., no rights reserved (CC0) · Wikimedia Commons

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Ranunculus recurvatus

hooked buttercup

Ranunculaceae Eastern North America

Attracts Pollinators Deer Resistant

Native to North America

SunPart Shade – Full Shade

WaterMedium

HardinessZones 4–8

Overview

Ranunculus recurvatus is an upright, hairy perennial of the buttercup family, native to eastern North America, growing 6-24 inches (15-60 cm) tall from a short fibrous-rooted crown. The long-stalked basal and lower leaves are 1.5-4 inches (4-10 cm) wide and deeply cut into three broad, toothed lobes, covered like the stems in spreading hairs. From mid-spring into summer it bears small flowers about 0.4 inch (1 cm) across with five narrow, pale-yellow petals that are shorter than the reflexed green sepals, so the bloom looks modest rather than full. Each flower develops into a rounded head of small dry achenes, each tipped with a slender beak that curves back into a distinct hook. It grows in moist, shaded deciduous woods, floodplains, and stream banks on rich soils. Like other buttercups it contains protoanemonin, an irritant compound that makes the fresh foliage acrid and mildly toxic to grazing animals and people.

Native Range

Native to eastern North America, from eastern Canada south through the eastern and central United States to Georgia and Texas. It grows in moist hardwood forests, ravines, floodplains, and along shaded streams.

Suggested Uses

Used in shaded native and woodland gardens, along stream and pond margins, and in naturalized groundcover plantings on moist, rich soil. Its modest flowers suit informal, naturalistic settings rather than formal beds.

How to Identify

Look for a hairy buttercup 6-24 inches (15-60 cm) tall with three-lobed, toothed, long-stalked leaves and small pale-yellow flowers whose petals are shorter than the bent-back sepals. After bloom, the rounded seed heads carry achenes with slender, hooked beaks. The hooked beaks and reflexed sepals separate it from Ranunculus acris and other yellow buttercups with flat, longer petals.

Appearance

Size & Dimensions

Height6" - 2'

Width/Spread6" - 1'

Colors

Flower Colors

yellow

Foliage Colors

green

Bloom Information

Bloom Period

~6 weeks

Spring Summer

Flowering runs from mid-spring into early summer, roughly April to June. The small pale-yellow flowers open a few at a time on branched stems over several weeks. Hooked-beaked seed heads follow and cling to fur and clothing for dispersal.

Detailed Descriptions

Foliage Description

green

Growing Conditions

Sun Requirements

SunPartial Shade SunFull Shade

Requires 2-6 hours of direct sunlight daily

• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight

• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight

• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight

Soil Requirements

pH Range5.5 - 7.0(Neutral)

357912

Soil Types

loam silt

Drainagemoist

Water & Climate

Water Needs

Medium

Frost Tolerance

hardy

Time to Maturity

2-3 years

Care & Maintenance

Care Guide

Grows in part to full shade on consistently moist, rich, well-drained woodland soils and tolerates seasonal wetness along streams and floodplains. It is hardy roughly in USDA zones 4-8 and behaves as a cool-season woodland perennial, often going semi-dormant in summer heat and drought. Dry, sunny, or impoverished sites cause early dieback and poor flowering. It self-sows by hooked seeds and forms loose colonies in suitable shade. Little care is needed beyond steady soil moisture and leaf-litter cover. The acrid sap can irritate skin, and the foliage is left alone by deer and rabbits.

Pruning

No pruning is needed for this small woodland perennial. Spent flowering stems can be cut back to limit self-seeding from the clinging seeds. Yellowing foliage can be removed as the plant goes summer-dormant.