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Ranunculaceae
Prairie Buttercup
Ranunculus rhomboideus
Simple joy.
- Family
- Ranunculaceae
- Genus
- Ranunculus
- Native to
- United States, Canada
- Bloom season
- Spring
- Type
- perennial
- Height
- 4-10 in
- Sunlight
- full sun
- Soil
- dry, well-drained, sandy to loamy
- Water
- low
- Hardiness
- 3-7
- Lifespan
- perennial
Did you know
- It is one of the earliest prairie wildflowers, often blooming before the last snow has melted.
- The petals have a waxy coating that reflects ultraviolet light, creating a 'bulls-eye' pattern visible only to insect pollinators.
- The childhood game of holding a buttercup under the chin to see if 'you like butter' works because of the petal's highly reflective surface.
- Like all buttercups, it contains the toxin protoanemonin, which causes blistering and was historically used as a counter-irritant poultice.
- Prairie buttercups have declined significantly as native tallgrass prairies have been converted to farmland, with less than 4% of original prairie remaining.
Color meanings
0
childish innocence
1
humility
2
neatness