Brackish Plains Buttercup

Brackish Plains Photos

Family: Buttercup (Ranunculaceae)

Scientific Name:

Ranunculus diminutus

A carpet of Brackish Plains Buttercup
Photo: A J Brown

Other Common Names:

Lesser River Buttercup

Status:

Native to Victoria and New South Wales

Plant Description:

Small prostrate, herb with long stolons, and flowering stems from 1-10 cm high. The somewhat succulent leaves are 0.5–2 cm long, divided into three main segments, each of which may have 2 or 3 lobes or teeth. Leaf stalks are less than 10 cm long. Upper leaf surfaces are hairless, leaf margins may have a few, scattered, long hairs.

Flower petals, yellow, 3.5–5.5 mm long and 0.6–1.5 mm wide. Each petal has a small, semicircular or crescent-shaped, lobe towards its base lobe containing nectar. Fruit composed of 6-22 achenes, 1.0–1.8 mm long, smooth or finely wrinkled or slightly ridged. The dorsal (upper) ridge of the achene is not thickened.

Habitat:

Grows on intermittently wet sites which tend to have slight to moderate salinity. Scattered and listed as rare in Victoria by the Department of Environment and Primary Industries.

Region	Salinity Class	Waterlogging Class
Western	S1, S2	W2, W3

Comments:

There are over 30 different species of Buttercup in Victoria, ranging from alpine to lowland types. Most require moist to wet habitats and grow in freshwater and few are found in saline situations. Brackish Plains Buttercup is similar to smaller forms of Large River Buttercup (Ranunculus papulentus) but differs in its smaller flowers and generally smaller habit.

Brackish Plains Photos

Flowers of Brackish Plains Buttercup Photo: A J Brown	Fruit of Brackish Plains Buttercup Photo: A J Brown
Leaves and flowers of Brackish Plains Buttercup Photo A J Brown

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