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''Ranunculus sceleratus'' known by the common names celery-leaved buttercup, celery-leaf buttercup, and cursed buttercup is a species of flowering plant in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae. It has a circumpolar distribution in the northern hemisphere, native to temperate and boreal
Jepson Manual TreatmentWashington Burke MuseumPhoto gallery
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1339284 sceleratus Flora of Europe Flora of Asia Flora of North America Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus
''Ranunculus sceleratus'' known by the common names celery-leaved buttercup, celery-leaf buttercup, and cursed buttercup is a species of flowering plant in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae. It has a circumpolar distribution in the northern hemisphere, native to temperate and boreal North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
and Eurasia, where it grows in wet and moist habitats, including ponds and streambanks.
Description
''Ranunculus sceleratus'' is an annual herb growing up to half a meter tall. The leaves are more or less glabrous (hairless) and have small blades each deeply lobed or divided into three leaflets. They are borne on long petioles. The flowers are 5-10mm across with five or fewer yellow petals a few millimeters long and reflexed sepals. The fruit is anachene
An achene (; ), also sometimes called akene and occasionally achenium or achenocarp, is a type of simple dry fruit produced by many species of flowering plants. Achenes are monocarpellate (formed from one carpel) and indehiscent (they do not ope ...
borne in a cluster of several.
While buttercups are toxic due to the presence of the substance protoanemonin, this applies in particular for the cursed buttercup: it is the most toxic buttercup and contains 2.5% protoanemonin. When the leaves are wrinkled, damaged or crushed, they bring out unsightly sores and blisters on human skin.
Distribution
''Ranunculus sceleratus'' has a circumpolar distribution in the northern hemisphere There are two varieties and one subspecies with distinctive distributions: ''R. sceleratus'' ssp. ''reptabundus'' occurs in northern Finland and north-west Russia. ''R. scleratus'' var. ''multifidus'' occurs in north westernNorth America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
. and ''R. scleratus'' var. ''longissimus'' is found from Minnesota to Alabama according to their biodiversity and plant atlases respectively.
References
External links
*Jepson Manual Treatment
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1339284 sceleratus Flora of Europe Flora of Asia Flora of North America Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus