White Water Buttercup
White water buttercup (Ranunculus aquitilis) is also called common (or white) water-crowfoot.
- An aquatic perennial herb
- It roots from nodes on the lower stems.
- It has a creeping and/or floating habit.
- Alternate stem leaves.
- Submerged leaves are thread-like and floating leaves are elliptical in shape, acting like floaters.
- The plant often grows into mats in shallow water.
- White petals with yellow centers are raised above the water.
- A long flowering period.
- Pollinated by bees, flies, and beetles.
- All photos by the author. Click an image for a lightbox view.
- Egg-like achenes form after flowering. The seeds float away in the winds.
- Seeds are eaten by ducks, swans, muskrats, and turtles.
- Found in shallow bays, marshes, ponds, and stagnant water.
- In warm bays of shallow lakes, white water buttercup can fill up large areas.
- The plants oxygenate bodies of water and provide sheltered habitat for small fishes and invertebrates.
- A robust and cold-hardy species.
- Present in most lakes, but abundant in open lakes like Stump Lake, Bleeker Lake, Roche Lake, and other lakes with sun exposure and shallow bays.