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Ranunculus hispidus

Bristly Buttercup · Rough Buttercup · Hispid Buttercup

Family RanunculaceaeGenus Ranunculus

Also published as Ranunculus hispidulus. You are in the right place.

A glossy yellow five-petalled flower above three-lobed leaves on the forest floor
FlowerMegan MassaCC BY 4.0
A line drawing of a branching plant with three-parted toothed leaves, open flowers at the stem tips and a knobbly seed head enlarged beside it.
IllustrationUSDA NRCS. Wetland flora: Field office illustrated guide to plant species. USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. Provided by NRCS National Wetland Team, Fort Worth, TX.Public domain

About the plant

What it is and where it grows — not part of any germination protocol.

Safety

Toxicity
Poisonous to cattle, goats, horses. All parts. Protoanemonin. Stated for Ranunculus spp.Plants Poisonous to Livestock

The plant

Habit
perennialPlants of the World Online
Habit
Perennial, Forb/herbPLANTS Database
Height
2.5 ft75 cmPLANTS Database
Flower
YellowPLANTS Database
Blooms
Early SpringPLANTS Database
Native range
Canada, lower 48 statesPLANTS Database
Note
Six months of dry storage at 70 or 40 killed the seed. Sow it fresh.Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed.

Growing conditions

Sun
Shade tolerance: LowPLANTS Database
Soil
Adapted to medium, fine textured soilsPLANTS Database
Soil pH
4.5-8.0PLANTS Database
Moisture
Moisture use: MediumPLANTS Database
Watering
Drought tolerance: LowPLANTS Database

Toxicity is noted only where a source states it. No note here is not a finding of safety.

Sources: Plants of the World Online — Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; PLANTS Database — USDA NRCS; Plants Poisonous to Livestock — Cornell University Department of Animal Science; Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno.

Worth knowing

  • Ranunculus is Latin for "little frog", after the liking many buttercups have for wet places, and hispidus means "densely hairy". Turkeys, grouse and small rodents eat the seeds of bristly buttercup. Wikipedia: Ranunculus hispidus

This source reports three treatments. All are shown.

Protocol 1

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1993

Difficulty High Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around June 19, 2027 for a May 3 last frost. Too late for spring 2027 — that needed starting on June 18, 2026.

  1. Warm moist stratification

    Duration: 90 daysTemperature: 70°F 21°C

    10% here. Deno gives no length for this period; three months is his standard cycle.

  2. Cold moist stratification

    Duration: 90 daysTemperature: 40°F 4°C

    A further 22%. Deno gives no length for this period; three months is his standard cycle.

  3. Warm moist stratification

    Duration: 90 daysTemperature: 70°F 21°C

    Deno gives no length for this period; three months is his standard cycle.

  4. Cold moist stratification

    Temperature: 40°F 4°C

    A further 27%.

about 9 months from start to step 4. Germination happens during step 4; time not stated, 21 days assumed.

27% germination.

10, 22 and 27 per cent across four cycles -- about three fifths, over a year.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, RanunculusPublic domain
Show the original text
Ranunculus (Ranunculaceae). Germination was remarkably varied A. hispidulus germ. 70(10%)-40(22%)-70-40(27%) and 40(2%)-70(2%)-40(11%)-70(16%). Germination in either a 70 or 40 cycle occurs throughput the cycle. Seed DS 6 mat 70 or 40 was dead.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Ranunculus. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list.

Protocol 2

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1993

Difficulty High Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around June 19, 2027 for a May 3 last frost. Too late for spring 2027 — that needed starting on June 18, 2026.

  1. Cold moist stratification

    Duration: 90 daysTemperature: 40°F 4°C

    2% here. Deno gives no length for this period; three months is his standard cycle.

  2. Warm moist stratification

    Duration: 90 daysTemperature: 70°F 21°C

    A further 2%. Deno gives no length for this period; three months is his standard cycle.

  3. Cold moist stratification

    Duration: 90 daysTemperature: 40°F 4°C

    A further 11%. Deno gives no length for this period; three months is his standard cycle.

  4. Warm moist stratification

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C

    A further 16%.

about 9 months from start to step 4. Germination happens during step 4; time not stated, 21 days assumed.

16% germination.

Starting cold is slower off the mark: 2, 2, 11 and 16 per cent.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, RanunculusPublic domain
Show the original text
Ranunculus (Ranunculaceae). Germination was remarkably varied A. hispidulus germ. 70(10%)-40(22%)-70-40(27%) and 40(2%)-70(2%)-40(11%)-70(16%). Germination in either a 70 or 40 cycle occurs throughput the cycle. Seed DS 6 mat 70 or 40 was dead.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Ranunculus. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list.

Protocol 3

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1993

  1. Dry storage

    Duration: 180 days

    Dead after six months, at 70 or 40.

  2. Sow and cover

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C

about 6 months from start to sowing.

0% germination.

Six months dry, at 70 or at 40, and the seed was simply dead. Sow it fresh.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, RanunculusPublic domain
Show the original text
Ranunculus (Ranunculaceae). Germination was remarkably varied A. hispidulus germ. 70(10%)-40(22%)-70-40(27%) and 40(2%)-70(2%)-40(11%)-70(16%). Germination in either a 70 or 40 cycle occurs throughput the cycle. Seed DS 6 mat 70 or 40 was dead.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Ranunculus. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record; the step names come from a fixed list.

How each step is done, in Deno’s words, and what Verified and Derived mean.

Germination trials

Readers’ own records of sowing this species, published after review. Share your trial · All trials

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