Ranunculus ophioglossifolius

Ranunculus ophioglossifolius
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Order:	Ranunculales
Family:	Ranunculaceae
Genus:	Ranunculus
Species:	R. ophioglossifolius
Binomial name
	Ranunculus ophioglossifolius; Vill.

Last updated February 14, 2024

Ranunculus ophioglossifolius, known as adder's-tongue spearwort, is a herbaceous plant in the family Ranunculaceae ("buttercup family"), with small, bright yellow, buttercup-like flowers.

Distribution

Ranunculus ophioglossifolius is found widely in southern Europe (especially in Sardinia), North Africa (including Macaronesia) and western Asia.^[1] In 1957, it was introduced to New Zealand.^[2] In the British Isles, it is now restricted to two sites,^[3] and in Scandinavia, it is only found at a few sites on the island of Gotland.^[4]

Status in Great Britain

Also known as the "Badgeworth buttercup", this plant has been the subject of considerable conservation effort from Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust and Plantlife. It is currently found in only two sites in the UK (Badgeworth and Inglestone Common), making it one of the rarest species of the country.

A historical timeline is published by the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust:^[5]

In 1789, adder's-tonguespearwort was first described by Dominique Villars in Histoire des plantes de Dauphiné.
In June 1838, it was discovered in the Channel Islands at St Peter's Marsh on Jersey by Charles Cardale Babington.
In 1843, Sowerby's English Botany included illustrations.
Mentioned in 1846 by Edward Forbes in a classic article on a theory of floral distribution of the British Isles.^[6]
In 1878 in England, a few specimens were found in a wet ditch at Hythe, Hampshire by Mr. H Groves (not fully identified until 1882).
In 1884, the last known specimens were collected from St Peter's Marsh, Jersey and are in the Herbarium of Carlisle City Museum.
In 1890, adder's-tongue spearwort was discovered at Cold Pool, Badgeworth by Mr. Buckell and Mrs. Frances Fawkes.
In 1914, it was found in a wet meadow near Woodsford, Dorset by Professor R Good.
In 1926, a second Gloucestershire site was found around a pond on Inglestone Common by Mrs C I Sandwith and Mr N Y Sandwith.
In 1929, specimens were collected by Frere Louis-Arsene at Grouville, Jersey (later found to be adder's-tongue spearwort) and are now in the Herbarium at the Natural History Museum.

Related Research Articles

Ranunculus is a large genus of about 1700 to more than 1800 species of flowering plants in the family Ranunculaceae. Members of the genus are known as buttercups, spearworts and water crowfoots.

Pulsatilla vulgaris, the pasqueflower, is a species of flowering plant belonging to the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae), found locally on calcareous grassland in Europe, and widely cultivated in gardens. It was considered part of the genus Anemone, to which it is closely related. Several sources still list Anemone pulsatilla as the accepted name, with Pulsatilla vulgaris as a synonym.

Ranunculus acris is a species of flowering plant in the family Ranunculaceae, and is one of the more common buttercups across Europe and temperate Eurasia. Common names include meadow buttercup, tall buttercup, common buttercup and giant buttercup.

Badgeworth SSSI is a 3.08-hectare (7.6-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire notified in 1954 and renotified in 1983. Part of this site is owned and managed by the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust as a nature reserve.

Ranunculus longirostris, the longbeak buttercup, is an aquatic plant in the buttercup family.

Ranunculus auricomus, known as goldilocks buttercup or Greenland buttercup, is a perennial species of buttercup native to Eurasia. It is a calcicole typically found in moist woods and at the margins of woods. It is apomictic, and several hundred agamospecies have been recognised.

Wingletang Down is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) on the southern side of the island of St Agnes in the Isles of Scilly, England, UK, which is noted for its biological characteristics. The site is managed by the Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust and is within the Isles of Scilly Heritage Coast and the Isles of Scilly Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is the only site in Great Britain and Ireland for the small fern, least adder's–tongue. As of 11 September 2009 the SSSI was considered to be in ″unconditional recovering″ condition because European gorse and bramble are at unacceptable levels.

Ranunculus allenii, commonly known as Allen's buttercup, is a flowering plant in the crowfoot or buttercup family, Ranunculaceae. Generally found in wetlands in northern latitudes, it bears yellow flowers in summer, which are pollinated by insects.

Wotton Hill is a hill on the edge of the Cotswold Hills in Gloucestershire, England, 0.5 miles (0.80 km) north of Wotton-under-Edge. The Cotswold Way passes over the hill.

Clarke's Pool Meadow is a 1.8-hectare (4.4-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, notified in 1997. It lies on the flat top of 'Old Hill' about half a mile south of Blakeney. The site consists of two fields which were purchased by the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust in 1997. The site was designated an SSSI in the same year and it is one of the finest surviving traditional hay meadows in Gloucestershire.

Swift's Hill is a 9.15-hectare (22.6-acre) biological and geological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, notified in 1966 and renotified in 1984.

Foxes Bridge Bog is a 5.3-hectare (13-acre) nature reserve in Gloucestershire. The site is owned by the Forestry Commission and is managed by the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust in partnership with the Forestry Commission. The site is listed in the 'Forest of Dean Local Plan Review' as a Key Wildlife Site (KWS).

Ridley Bottom is a 1.1-hectare (2.7-acre) nature reserve in Gloucestershire. The site is listed in the 'Forest of Dean Local Plan Review' as a Key Wildlife Site (KWS).

Chedworth Nature Reserve is a 6-hectare (15-acre) nature reserve in Gloucestershire. The site is listed in the 'Cotswold District' Local Plan 2001-2011 as a Key Wildlife Site (KWS).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Snows Farm Nature Reserve</span> Nature reserve in Gloucestershire, England

Snows Farm Nature Reserve is a 21.3-hectare (53-acre) nature reserve in Gloucestershire. The site is listed in the ‘Stroud District’ Local Plan, adopted November 2005, Appendix 6 as a Key Wildlife Site (KWS).

Ranunculus acaulis, in Australia and New Zealand called dune buttercup, sand buttercup or shore buttercup, is a yellow-flowered, small, fleshy herb, that grows in mats in damp places mostly near the sea. It occurs naturally in Australia, New Zealand, Chile and the Falklands. It flowers between August and April and sets seed from September till July.

Ron Ward's Meadow With Tadley Pastures is a site of Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). It is based on the edge of Tadley in Hampshire, England. It is managed by the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust.

Ranunculus lingua, the greater spearwort, great spearwort, tongue-leaved crowfoot, or water buttercup, is a plant species in the family Ranunculaceae native to temperate areas of Europe, Siberia and through to the western Himalayas. It is a semiaquatic plant that prefers to grow in about 40 cm (16 in) of water in a variety of wetland habitats. A cultivar called 'Grandiflorus', the large-flowered greater spearwort, has 6 cm flowers and is favored by gardeners.

Archibald Sim Montgomrey was a wholesale timber merchant, county councillor and magistrate and amateur plant collector in Britain and other parts of the world.

References

↑ C. D. K. Cook, J. Grau & G. López González (1998). "Ranunculus L.". In S. Castroviejo (ed.). Lycopodiaceae–Papaveraceae. Flora Iberica. Vol. 1 (4th ed.). pp. 279–371. ISBN 8400062221.
↑ "Ranunculus ophioglossifolius". Flora. New Zealand Plant Conservation Network . Retrieved October 18, 2013.
↑ Matthew J. Dring & Lewis C. Frost (1971). "Studies of Ranunculus ophioglossifolius in relation to its conservation at the Badgeworth Nature Reserve, Gloucestershire, England". Biological Conservation . 4 (1): 48–56. Bibcode:1971BCons...4...48D. doi:10.1016/0006-3207(71)90057-7.
↑ "Gotlandsranunkel, Ranunculus ophioglossifolius Vill". Den Virtuella Floran. Naturhistoriska Riksmuseet. December 10, 1999. Retrieved October 18, 2013.
↑ Guy, C, Haigh, D, Harris, Lucy, Harris, Lyn, Parker, J, Ralphs, I, Tandy, C, (1977 edition edited Holland, S) et al, 1966, 1967, 1977, 2007 editions, 'Badgeworth Nature Reserve Handbook' Gloucestershire Trust for Nature Conservation, Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust, Part II
↑ Edward Forbes (1846). "On the Connexion between the Distribution of the existing Fauna and Flora of the British Isles, and the Geological Changes which have affected their area, especially during the epoch of the Northern Drift". Memoirs of the Geological Survey of Great Britain. 1. Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)

External links

Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust
Plantlife
"Ranunculus ophioglossifolius Vill". Flora of New Zealand.

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[1] C. D. K. Cook, J. Grau & G. López González (1998). "Ranunculus L.". In S. Castroviejo (ed.). Lycopodiaceae–Papaveraceae. Flora Iberica. Vol. 1 (4th ed.). pp. 279–371. ISBN 8400062221.

[2] "Ranunculus ophioglossifolius". Flora. New Zealand Plant Conservation Network . Retrieved October 18, 2013.

[3] Matthew J. Dring & Lewis C. Frost (1971). "Studies of Ranunculus ophioglossifolius in relation to its conservation at the Badgeworth Nature Reserve, Gloucestershire, England". Biological Conservation . 4 (1): 48–56. Bibcode:1971BCons...4...48D. doi:10.1016/0006-3207(71)90057-7.

[4] "Gotlandsranunkel, Ranunculus ophioglossifolius Vill". Den Virtuella Floran. Naturhistoriska Riksmuseet. December 10, 1999. Retrieved October 18, 2013.

[5] Guy, C, Haigh, D, Harris, Lucy, Harris, Lyn, Parker, J, Ralphs, I, Tandy, C, (1977 edition edited Holland, S) et al, 1966, 1967, 1977, 2007 editions, 'Badgeworth Nature Reserve Handbook' Gloucestershire Trust for Nature Conservation, Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust, Part II

[6] Edward Forbes (1846). "On the Connexion between the Distribution of the existing Fauna and Flora of the British Isles, and the Geological Changes which have affected their area, especially during the epoch of the Northern Drift". Memoirs of the Geological Survey of Great Britain. 1. Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)

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