Ranunculus multifidus

Ranunculus multifidus, the common buttercup, is a variable, hairy perennial reaching heights from 20 cm to 1 m. The leaves grow in a basal rosette. Each leaf is divided into two to three leaflets with toothed margins. The green blades are covered in silky hairs.

The flowers grow in branched inflorescences. A flower has five sepals and five bright yellow, rounded and spreading petals. The flower stalks are hollow. The corolla diameter is from 1 cm to 2 cm. Flowering happens from spring to autumn with regional variations.

The species distribution is widespread, occurring in all nine South African provinces but absent from some dry parts inland in the northwest, also in other parts of Africa and in Madagascar. The photo was taken in the Drakensberg in KwaZulu-Natal.

The habitat is in moist areas, near streams and in marshes, from sea level to about 2900 m. The habitat population is deemed of least concern early in the twenty first century.

The plant suits in moist garden spots or water features. It is widely used in traditional medicine (Manning, 2009; Pooley, 1998; iNaturalist; http://redlist.sanbi.org).