Buttercup is a common name for many plants in the Ranunculus family.
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There are many different types of buttercup plants in theRanunculusgenus.
There are perennials, annuals, biennials, and even aquatic and rock garden plants.
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They frequently appear in the lawn, spread rapidly, and smother other plants.
These buttercups have simple,yellow flowerswith five to 10 petals.
They are especially bright and glossy.
Also, this warmth attracts the pollinators.
Buttercups are considered a source of food forbees and hummingbirds.
This reflection is why children like to hold a buttercup flower under their chin.
If the reflection on their chins is yellow, it is supposed to mean they like butter.
Despite this charming backstory, buttercups can be a pest in the garden or lawn.
We’ll tell you all it’s crucial that you know about identifying and managing buttercups.
The leaves are palmate, with three to five lobes that are also deeply divided.
This buttercup has five yellow petals.
The plants have long stems 1 or 2 feet tall topped with five-petaled yellow flowers with a bulbous center.
Plants bloom in spring to early summer and are biennial or a short-lived perennial.
Otherwise, it has the typical five-petaled, shiny yellow flowers and green, three-lobed foliage.
The lobed, trifoliate leaves can look somewhat like flat-leaf parsley.
Carolina buttercup blooms spring to summer.
It’s considered a winter annual weed but has value to pollinators and birds in its natural environment.
Creeping buttercup has three-lobed, serrated foliage and yellow flowers with five to seven petals.
The hairy foliage helps distinguish this plant from similar buttercups.
The plants have long leaves that are not as deeply lobed.
Usually, five-petaled, yellow petals surround a bulbous green center.
Plants can grow in poorly drained fields.
The foliage is considered very toxic.
Controlling Buttercups
There are a few approaches to controlling buttercups in the lawn or garden.
First, reduce opportunities for buttercups to invade by maintaining ahealthy, thick lawn.
If you have too much shade or moisture, try plantingalternatives to grassthat are better adapted to the site.
Mowing before the plants seed can help to control the population but isn’t likely to eliminate it.
you’ve got the option to use a post-emergent broadleaf herbicide that is designed for weedy lawns.
Herbicides are usually more effective in late winter when plants are small.
Monitor the area closely and expect to spend a couple of years or more working to eliminate them.
North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox.Ranunculus.
UGA Integrated Pest Management.Controlling Buttercups in Pastures.
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.Ranunculus hispidus var.
