Celery-leaved buttercup
Ranunculus sceleratus
Ranunculus sceleratus is an annual or biennial herbaceous plant reaching heights of 10 to 60 centimeters. It thrives primarily on nutrient-rich muddy soils along shores, ponds, and in ditches. The plant features fleshy, glossy leaves and numerous small, pale yellow flowers with a conspicuously elongated receptacle. Due to its high protoanemonin content, it is considered the most toxic species of the genus Ranunculus in Central Europe.
Details
Oxygen production
Low oxygen release via submerged plant parts.
Habitat function
Structural provider for invertebrates on mudflats; nesting material and food for birds.
Nutrient uptake
High capacity for uptake of nitrogen compounds from water and soil.
Food source for
Pollinating insects (hoverflies), seeds for ducks and other waterfowl.
Human use
Formerly used as 'beggar's herb' to create artificial skin lesions; medically obsolete today.
Ecology
Ecological role
Pioneer plant on open mudflats, important for primary production in temporary wetland habitats.
Natural predators
Hardly any grazing by mammals due to high toxicity; specialized insect larvae (e.g., leaf miners).
Competitor species
Other nitrophilous pioneer species such as Bidens tripartita or Persicaria species.
Ecosystem service
Stabilization of shoreline substrates and nutrient retention in floodplains.
Threats
Intensive drainage, shoreline stabilization (engineering), and loss of flood channels.
Scientific profile
Profile
Reproduction
Exclusively generative via seeds. A single plant can produce up to 10,000 small achenes, which are dispersed by water (hydrochory) or animals.
Protection & threats
Main threats
Loss of pioneer habitats due to bank stabilization, drainage of wetlands, and intensive cleaning of ditches.