Text and Photos by Janice Tucker

July 2009 ~ Water buttercup
Family: Buttercup (Ranunculaceae)
Plant: Water buttercup, Water crowfoot (Ranunculus aquatilis)

There is something calming and even hypnotic about water plants such as the Water buttercup. As we watch their small, white flowers floating serenely atop the surface of the water beneath a warm summer sun, time seems to slow. The body and mind begin to relax. And sometimes we recall those lazy, halcyon days of our youth in our favorite swimming hole when we flipped over on our backs and also floated along, suspended in the water gazing up at the white puffy clouds above.

Unlike other buttercup species, the Water buttercup (Ranunculus aquatilis) prefers to grow in the water instead of in soil. It is most often found in marshes, ponds, lakes and slow streams. Except for its 5-petaled white flower with yellow centers –and on rare occasions floating kidney-shaped leaves - the plant is submersed. This native perennial can measure up to 40 inches in length. The submersed leaves are branched into many thread-like segments. These fan-shaped leaves are attached to the stem by leaf stalks measuring between one-half to one inch long. The stem is weak, branched and either long and smooth or slightly hairy. Fibrous roots are attached to the stem at the lower nodes.

The fruit are clusters of 10 to 50 achenes per flower, which form in the center of the plant. (An achene is a one-seeded fruit that does not open to release the seed.) As the fruit matures, petals detach and flower stalks tend to curve away from the stem. Propagation is either from stem fragments and seeds dispersed by water, in mud, and sometimes by animals.

The fruit of the Water buttercup is an important food for waterfowl. Some fishermen claim that the plant attracts bass and other game fish. In the past, it has been used for a variety of medicinal purposes, including the treatment of rheumatism and arthritis

In Santa Fe's dry climate, it is a rare treat to have an opportunity to observe water plants in their natural environment. Where in Santa Fe can they be found? From late May through August the Water buttercup’s small white flowers with their bright yellow centers are sprinkled over the surface of the pond at Santa Fe Botanical Garden’s Leonora Curtin Wetland Preserve.