Description
Other Taxonomic Groupings- Two subspecies are found in North America. Ranunculus sceleratus ssp. sceleratus, the predominant form in Eastern regions, is of uncertain origin, while R. s. ssp. multifidus, the Western form is considered native (Gleason 1963).
Potentially Misidentified Species - Ranunculus abortivus (Small-Flowered Crowfoot, Small-flowered Buttercup;) is native and terrestrial; R. flabellaris (Water Buttercup; Water Crowfoot) is native,and aquatic (Brown and Brown 1984).
Taxonomy
| Kingdom | Phylum | Class | Order | Family | Genus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plantae | Magnoliophyta | Magnoliopsida | Ranunculales | Ranunculaceae | Ranunculus |
Synonyms
Invasion History
Chesapeake Bay Status
| First Record | Population | Range | Introduction | Residency | Source Region | Native Region | Vectors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1806 | Established | Stable | Cryptogenic | Regular Resident | Europe | Eurasia | Shipping(Dry Ballast), Agriculture(Agricultural Weed) |
History of Spread
Ranunculus sceleratus (Cursed Crowfoot) is native to Eurasia, but its invasion status in North America is uncertain. It was considered 'Introduced from Europe?' by Gray (1848), but was treated as native by most later authors (Agricultural Research Service 1971; Brown and Brown 1984; Fernald 1950; Gleason and Cronquist 1991). Robinson and Fernald (1908) described it as 'sometimes appearing as if introduced' (Robinson and Fernald 1908), presumably because of its opportunistic qualities (Grime et al. 1988). It was considered 'partly native, partly introduced' by Gleason (1963), but treated as wholly introduced by Cook (1985) and Mills et al. (1994). By 1806-1814, it ranged from 'Canada to Virginia' (Pursh 1814). It was first recorded in the Hudson Basin in 1863 (Mills et al. 1997), but was probably present much earlier. It is also present in the Great Lakes Basin, but was not listed by Mills et al. (1993). Ranunculus sceleratus is now found across North America (Natural Resources Conservation Service 1998), and is introduced in Australia and New Zealand (Cook 1985). We consider this plant to be cryptogenic in North America.
Pursh collected in southeast VA in 1806 (Harvill et al. 1992) and apparently found R. sceleratus then. It was listed in Brereton (1830) for Washington D.C. and Aikin (1837) for Baltimore and in subsequent floras from this area. Hitchcock and Standley (1919) found it in marshes along the Potomac and the Eastern Branch (Anacostia). Tatnall (1946) reported it to be 'common throughout in meadows, ditches, and tidal mud' on the Delmarva Peninsula. This plant is reported from 27 of ~30 VA tidewater counties, but is scattered elsewhere in VA (Harvill et al. 1992) and widespread in MD (Brown and Brown 1984). It was found in in 1996 in Fox Creek Marsh, at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center , Edgewater, MD, and over several years in disturbed brackish marshes in Shady Side MD (Fofonoff personal observation 1996-2001).
History References - Aikin 1837; Brereton 1831; Brown and Brown 1984; Cook 1985; Fernald 1950; Gleason 1963; Gleason and Cronquist 1991; Gray 1848; Harvill et al. 1992; Hitchcock and Standley 1919; Mills et al. 1993; Mills et al. 1997; Natural Resources Conservation Service 1998; Pursh 1814; Robinson and Fernald 1908; Tatnall 1946.
Invasion Comments
Ecology
Environmental Tolerances
| For Survival | For Reproduction | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum | Maximum | Minimum | Maximum | |
| Temperature (ºC) | ||||
| Salinity (‰) | 0.0 | 0.0 | ||
| Oxygen | ||||
| pH | 4.0000000000 | |||
| Salinity Range | fresh-meso |
Age and Growth
| Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Adult Size (mm) | ||
| Typical Adult Size (mm) | ||
| Maximum Adult Size (mm) | 500.0 | 500.0 |
| Maximum Longevity (yrs) | 0.2 | 0.2 |
| Typical Longevity (yrs | 0.2 | 0.2 |
Reproduction
| Start | Peak | End | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reproductive Season | |||
| Typical Number of Young Per Reproductive Event |
|||
| Sexuality Mode(s) | |||
| Mode(s) of Asexual Reproduction |
|||
| Fertilization Type(s) | |||
| More than One Reproduction Event per Year |
|||
| Reproductive Startegy | |||
| Egg/Seed Form |
Impacts
Economic Impacts in Chesapeake Bay
Ranunculus sceleratus (Cursed Crowfoot) is a common weed of wet pastures and ditches in the watershed (Brown and Brown 1984), but has no reported impacts in the Bay proper.
References- Brown and Brown 1984
Economic Impacts Outside of Chesapeake Bay
Ranunculus sceleratus (Cursed Crowfoot) is toxic to cattle, and can be troublesome in wet pastures (Agricultural Research Service 1971; Grime et al. 1988).
References- Agricultural Research Service 1971; Grime et al. 1988
Ecological Impacts on Chesapeake Native Species
Ranunculus sceleratus(Cursed Crowfoot) is fairly common in disturbed nontidal wetlands, but since there are relatively few reports from Chesapeake tidal marshes, impacts on native biota there are probably small. The plant is a rapid colonist of disturbed wetlands and is toxic to grazing mammals (Agricultural Research Service 1971; Grime 1988).
References- Agricultural Research Service 1971; Grime 1988
Ecological Impacts on Other Chesapeake Non-Native Species
Impacts of Ranunculus sceleratus (Cursed Crowfoot) on introduced biota are considered minor, since there are few records from Chesapeake tidal wetlands. However, it is apparently common in wet inland areas and is a rapid colonizer of moist disturbed soil (Agricultural Research Service 1971; Grime 1988).
References- Agricultural Research Service 1971; Grime 1988
References
Agricultural Research Service (1971) Common weeds of the United States., In: (Eds.) . , Washington, D.C.. Pp.Aikin, W. E. A. (1837) Catalogue of phenogamous plants and ferns, native or naturalized, growing in the vicinity of Baltimore, Maryland., Transactions of the Maryland Academy of Sciences and Literature 1: 55-91
Brereton, J. A. (1830) Prodromus of the Flora Columbiana, , Washington, D.C.. Pp.
Brown, Melvin L.; Brown, Russell G. (1984) Herbaceous Plants of Maryland, , College Park. Pp.
Cook, Christopher D. K. (1985) Range extensions of aquatic vascular plant species, Journal of Aquatic Plant Management 23: 1-6
Fernald, Merritt L. (1950) Gray's Manual of Botany, In: (Eds.) . , New York. Pp.
Gleason, Henry A. (1963) The new Britton and Brown illustrated flora of the northeastern United States and adjacent Canada, In: (Eds.) . , New York. Pp.
Gleason, Henry A.; Cronquist, Arthur (1991) Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada, In: (Eds.) . , Bronx, New York. Pp.
Gray, Asa (1848) A manual of botany of the northern United States., In: (Eds.) . , Boston. Pp.
Grime. J. P.; Hodgson, J. G.; Hunt, R. (1988) Comparative plant ecology: A functional approach to common British species, , London. Pp.
Gronovius, Johannes Fredericius (1739) Flora Virginica exhibens plantas quas V. C. Johannes Clayton in Virginia observavit atque collegit., , London. Pp.
Harvill, A. M.; Bradley, Ted R.; Stevens, Charles E.; Wieboldt, Thomas F.; Ware, Donna M. E.; Ogle, Douglas W.; Ramsey, Gwynn W.; Fleming, Gary P. (1992) Atlas of the Virginia Flora, , Burkeville, VA. Pp.
Hitchcock, A. S.; Standley, P. C. (1919) Flora of the District of Columbia and Vicinity., In: (Eds.) . , Washington, D. C.. Pp.
Kartesz, John T. (1994) A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland., In: (Eds.) . , Portland OR. Pp.
Mills, Edward L.; Leach, Joseph H.; Carlton, James T.; Secor, Carol L. (1993) Exotic species in the Great Lakes: a history of biotic crises and anthropogenic introductions., Journal of Great Lakes Research 19: 1-54
Mills, Edward L.; Scheuerell, Mark D.; Carlton, James T.; Strayer, David (1997) Biological invasions in the Hudson River: an inventory and historical analysis., New York State Museum Circular 57: 1-51
1997-2024 USDA PLANTS Database.. Onine databse
Pursh, Frederick (1814) Flora Americae Septentrionalis or, a Systematic Arrangement and Description of the Plants of North America, , Hirschburg. Pp.
Resource Management Inc. (1993) National list of plant species that occur in wetlands., , Minneapolis.. Pp.
Robinson, Benjamin Lincoln; Fernald, Merrit L. (1908) Gray's New Manual of Botany., , New York. Pp.
Tatnall, Robert R. (1946) Flora of Delaware and the Eastern Shore, , Wilmington. Pp.