Botanical art
Common names
Large River Buttercup
Etymology
Ranunculus from the diminutive of the Latin 'rana', meaning a frog, a name of a plant in the writings of Pliny and may refer to the many species found in wet places where frogs abound. Papulentus possible from the Latin 'papula' meaning pimple or swelling, referring to warty surface of the seed.
Distribution and status
Found in a few sites in the southern Mount Lofty ranges and the South-east, growing in freshwater wetland. Also found in New South Wales and Victoria. Native. Endangered in South Australia. The SA Seed Bank is propagating a number of plants from the single known extant population in the Adelaide & Mt Lofty Ranges region to investigate viable set for this population. Uncommon in the other States.
Herbarium regions: Murray, Southern Lofty, South Eastern
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)
Plant description
Rhizomatous or stoloniferous perennial to 25 cm high. Leaves mainly tufted at base with lamina palmatisect, to 5 cm long and wide; Seed embryo type is rudimentary.
Seed collection and propagation
Collect seeds between February and April. Pick the seeds from the cluster with your fingers, those turning a pale colour and come away easily from the stalk. Place the seeds in a tray and leave to dry for 1 to 2 weeks. No further cleaning is required. Store the seeds with a desiccant such as dried silica beads or dry rice, in an air tight container in a cool and dry place.