Ranunculus lingua

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Ranunculus lingua

Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1
)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Ranunculales
Family: Ranunculaceae
Genus: Ranunculus
Species:
R. lingua
Binomial name
Ranunculus lingua
Synonyms
  • Flammula lingua Fourr.

Ranunculus lingua, the greater spearwort,[2] great spearwort,[3] tongue-leaved crowfoot,[4] or water buttercup,[5] is a plant species in the family Ranunculaceae native to temperate areas of Europe, Siberia and through to the western Himalayas. It is a semiaquatic plant that prefers to grow in about 40 cm (16 in) of water in a variety of wetland habitats.[6] A cultivar (or perhaps a traditional variety) called 'Grandiflorus', the large-flowered greater spearwort, has 6 cm flowers and is favored by gardeners.[7]

Description

Greater spearwort is a stoloniferous perennial plant with stems up to about 120 cm long, which can start horizonal in mud but then become erect and hollow as they rise out of the water. The aerial stems are sometime branched and often slightly hairy, with short, eglandular, appressed hairs. The branches and upper stem bear alternate leaves on short petioles, which are up to 30 cm long by 3 cm wide, with a narrow tip. In the autumn, shorter submerged basal leaves are produced, which typically overwinter. All the leaves are generally glabrous and entire, although some may be slightly toothed towards the apex.

Flowering occurs in the summer months (June-September in northern Europe), with the inflorescence a cyme of large (up to 5 cm) 5-petalled yellow flowers arranged individually on long pedicels. The flowers are hermaphroditic, with numerous stamens surrounding a glabrous receptacle on which are there are also many carpels. The fruits are obovoid

achenes up to 2.7 mm long with a minutely pitted surface.[8]

Distribution and status

The native range of greater spearwort is throughout Europe and western Asia as far western Siberia and Xinjiang province of China.[9][10] Populations are judged to be stable, globally, and its threat status is LC (Least Concern).[11]

The situation is Britain is a bit more complex. It is thought to be declining as a native wild plant of various types of wetland, but it has been widely planted into garden ponds and wild areas since then 1950s, and these introductions have more than compensated for the losses in terms of distribution, but may mask some environmental degradation. Its overall status remains LC, however.[12]

Habitat and ecology

Greater spearwort occurs in a wide variety of wetland habitats, including marshes, ditches, ponds, canals, reservoirs, gravel pits and quarries.[12] In the British National Vegetation Classification it is listed in six swamp and one aquatic vegetation types; the aquatic one being A4, which is rare and restricted to The Broads of East Anglia.[13]

References

  1. Sp. pl.
    1:549. 1753
  2. ISBN 9781466576810
    .
  3. OCLC 7536831
    .
  4. OCLC 6858645
    .
  5. OCLC 23370502
    .
  6. JSTOR 20794630
    .
  7. ^ "Ranunculus lingua 'Grandiflorus' large-flowered greater spearwort". rhs.org. The Royal Horticultural Society. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  8. ISBN 978-0-521-55335-3
    .
  9. ^ "Ranunculus lingua L." www.gbif.org. Retrieved 2024-03-03.
  10. ^ "Ranunculus lingua L. | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 2024-03-03.
  11. ^ "Greater Spearwort, Ranunculus lingua". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
  12. ^ a b "PlantAtlas". plantatlas2020.org. Retrieved 2024-03-04.
  13. ISBN 0-521-39168-7
    .
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