Ranunculus aquatilis
Water buttercup
Common names: Flooding buttercup, Water‑buttercup
At a glance
- Light
- Full sun
- Pot size
- from 50 l
- Lifespan
- Perennial
- Flowering
- May–Aug
- Hardiness
- Hardy
- Origin
- Native to Germany
Photo: CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
This description was machine-translated.
Description
Ranunculus aquatilis is a native floating-leaved pond plant. From May to August it produces small white flowers with a yellow centre that float on the water surface, while fine, almost hair‑like foliage grows underwater. It supplies oxygen, is a popular spawning plant for fish and amphibians, and helps keep pond water clear. Like all buttercups, it is toxic; sap can irritate skin and mucous membranes, causing redness and blisters, and ingestion is harmful to humans and animals. Wear gloves when pruning and keep children and pets away from fresh sap. It is a valuable addition to natural ponds with a water depth of about 30 to 60 cm.
Care instructions
Plant in a container with loamy pond soil and place in 30 to 60 cm deep water at a sunny to partially shaded spot. No fertilisation is needed; nutrient‑rich water favours algae over the plant. In early summer (around week 22) trim overgrown shoots with scissors to prevent the surface from becoming fully covered. Wear gloves to protect against sap irritation. The plant is winter hardy as a rootstock on the pond bottom and will regrow in spring, usually by week 13. Remove dead plant parts in autumn to prevent rotting in the water.
The care notes were machine-translated from German.
Garden year
FloweringMay–Aug
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
moist, nutrient-rich, loamy, clayey
The common water-crowfoot does not need a classic garden soil, but nutrient-rich mud at the bottom of a pond or stream. It prefers to grow in still or slowly flowing fresh water with a loamy-clay bed. Chalky, mineral-rich water noticeably promotes growth, whereas it avoids strongly acidic bog water.
Feeding
Light feeder
As a wild plant in water, the common water-crowfoot needs no additional feeding. Water that is too rich in nutrients encourages algae rather than the plant itself. A thin layer of pond soil or loam when planting is quite enough as starting capital.
Overwintering
The common water-crowfoot is hardy and dies back in autumn as soon as the water gets colder. The rhizomes survive on the bed of the water, as long as it does not freeze right to the bottom. In shallow garden ponds it helps to keep an ice-free zone open so that gas exchange can take place.
Propagation
Methods
- Division
- Cuttings
The easiest way to propagate the common water-crowfoot is from pieces of the trailing stems, which you simply cut off and anchor elsewhere in the water. Dividing whole clumps in spring also works well, when the plant starts growing again. New shoots quickly form roots of their own and keep growing independently. Week 13 to week 22 is the best time for this work, as the water warms up.
For your garden
Grow Water buttercup yourself
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