Information on some ranunculus species please

[Paddy Tobin]

I would welcome any information on the following species of ranunculus which I have grown from seed but about which I can find extremely little information:

Ranunculus aconitifolius
Ranunculus pascuinus
Ranunculus yatsugatakensis

Paddy

[hadacekf]

Paddy,
Ranunculus aconitifolius is found in lowland and mountains wood and meadows of Europe, very often in very wet places. It is clump forming and 40 – 60 cm tall. It has loose shower of lovely white stars, is the joy of any bog or rich waterside place.

[Maggi Young]

http://www.um.u-tokyo.ac.jp/publish_db/Bulletin/no34/no34007.html  takes you to a paper on TAXONOMIC NOTES ON SOME ALPINE SPECIES OF RANUNCULUS (RANUNCULACEAE) IN THE HIMALAYA which makes soem mention of similarities between one species there and two Japanese species, one of which is Ranunculus yatsugatakensis... this may be of some help to you, Paddy.
Here is a Japanese page with pix  http://www.botanic.jp/plants-ya/yakinp.htm

As to the R. pascuinus, I can only find that it is Tasmanian ? species??  and there is a photo here:
http://www.utas.edu.au/docs/plant_science/field_botany/species/dicots/ranuncsp/ranupasc.html

[Paddy Tobin]

Franz, Maggi,

Many thanks. I had spent some time on the internet without any great success.

I had found that R. aconitifolius grew in central Europe but that is all I found out, no  photograph, no information about growing conditions nor no description, so Franz your posting has given me great information.

R. pascuinus seems to grow in Australia and Tasmania but again I found no information about growing conditions and again, no  photograph.

R. yatsugatakensis drew a complete blank.

So now I am a little more informed.

Many thanks, Paddy

[rob krejzl]

Paddy,

R. pascuinus, the Pressed Hair buttercup, is a Tasmanian endemic which is found  in grassland/grassy heaths in the eastern mountains. A small (2-3 cm) rosette herb with hairs pressed tightly on the leaves and flowering stems; leaves formed of three leaflets or three strong segments; the single flowers are golden yellow held on stems above the leaves.

[Paddy Tobin]

Many thanks, Rob,

I had found that it was called the Pressed Hair Buttercup but had found nothing of its habitat, size, growing conditions, so many thanks for the additional information.

Paddy

[rob krejzl]

Paddy,

I don't grow the ranunculus myself, but grassy heathland (relatively deep, non-stoney soil with reasonable fertility) is also the habitat of Richea acerosa for which the usual advice is to grow it cool and moist.

[Paddy Tobin]

Many thanks, Rob.

Paddy

[ranunculus]

Sorry Paddy....only just discovered this thread.

I second Franz regarding R. aconitifolius, it is a very beautiful plant in it's natural habitat...one of the joys of alpine Switzerland, but it is not easy to recreate such perfect conditions for it in the garden and it can easily languish, becoming stunted with small uninspiring flowers if moisture levels aren't exactly right. It seems to prefer damp spring and summer hollows in meadows and on gentle slopes.

Sowing R. pascuinus from society seeds usually results in an anemone with cream flowers and pulsatilla-like foliage (very much like, if not, A. magellanica)....I have received the same interloper from at least four different sowings and have only succeeded in growing the true plant once (a pleasant plant but with little garden merit in the form I managed to germinate).

R. yatsugatakensis is another plant that has taken on two identities in the seed exchanges...there is a minute creeping plant doing the rounds that thrives in damp pots but produces equally tiny flowers of no discernible merit, while the other form is even more weedy, taller and produces a few uninspiring blooms on quite elongated stems. I hope you have discovered a much better form!!

Sorry to be less than enthusiastic about your carefully nurtured plants Paddy but you MAY have been fortunate and found the holy grail of each species.

[Paddy Tobin]

Many thanks, Cliff.

I don't mind if they turn out to be the wrong ones. They are from AGS seed and such things are to be expected on occasion from any seed exchange.

Paddy

[rob krejzl]

'Sowing R. pascuinus from society seeds usually results in an anemone with cream flowers "

In which case: http://www.wildseedtasmania.com.au/

[Lesley Cox]

So pleased to have this site available Rob. I saw so many plants that were totally new to me and this will help identify some at least. I'll have some more pics within a couple of days, from Mt Field and the mountain (Mt Wellington?) behind Hobart. (I have the query because Mt Wellington is also in Auckland and I'm wondering if I have my drinks mixed - not that I drink of course

[rob krejzl]

'Mt Wellington"

Same eponym; different mountains. But then, Oz seems to have a fondness for repeating a good english name as many times as it can get away with it.  I hope Mt Field lived up to your expectations. The climb up through sclerophyll, rainforest, sub-alpine and alpine habitats is very instructive, and places like the Tarn Shelf & K Col a joy to see.

[Lesley Cox]

Thanks Rob.

[Paddy Tobin]

Rob,

An excellent resource and source. Many thanks.

It has helped me in identifying a clematis I grow in the garden - grown from seed sent from a correspondent in Tasmania some years ago.

Also, it gave some information on Ranunculus pascuinus which I had requested at the beginning of this thread.

Paddy