Dr. J.D. Green, Extension Weed Scientist - One of the signs that spring has arrived is when the yellow flowers of buttercup begin to appear, but it’s during the winter months that the vegetative growth of buttercup takes place. As a cool season weed, this plant often flourishes in over grazed pasture fields with poor stands of desirable forages. In fact, many fields that have dense buttercup populations are fields heavily grazed by animals during the fall through the early spring months.
Ranunculus acris and over 1000 other quality seeds for sale. Ranunculus acris is one of the more common buttercups across Europe and temperate Eurasia. Common names include meadow buttercup and tall buttercup. The plant is also known as an introduced species across much of the rest of the world, including Australia. Common buttercup varieties include tall or common buttercup (Ranunculus acris), which grows in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 4 through 8, and California buttercup. Tall buttercup contains a bitter juice, which cause blistering of the mouth and digestive system when consumed by livestock. Creeping buttercup is a similar species found in Alberta, however its growth habit is quite different. Its roots form at the nodes of low, creeping stems. Its weedy nature Tall buttercup is a non-native plant of European.
Buttercups are sometimes classified as short-lived perennials, but often grow as winter annuals. Plants typically produce five, shiny yellow petals in the early spring. There are four different species of buttercups that may be found in Kentucky: bulbous buttercup (Ranunculus bulbosus), creeping buttercup (Ranunculus repens), tall buttercup (Ranunculus acris), and small flower buttercup (Ranunculus arbortivus). Although each of these plants may have somewhat similar flower heads, each of these buttercup species differs somewhat in their vegetative leaf characteristics. New seed are produced during the time petals are showy. Waiting until after flowers appear can be too late to implement control tactics. This is one reason buttercups can survive year to year and new plants emerge each year.
Most buttercup plants emerge from seed during the fall or late winter months. Therefore, pasture management practices that improve and promote growth of desirable plants during these months is one of the best methods to help compete against the emergence and growth of this plant. Whereas, livestock animals allowed to overgraze fields during the fall and winter months is one of the main factors that contribute to buttercup problems. Mowing fields or clipping plants close to the ground in the early spring before buttercup plants can produce flowers may help reduce the amount of new seed produced, but mowing alone will not totally eliminate seed production.
For chemical control, herbicides registered for use on grass pastures that contain 2,4-D will effectively control buttercup. Depending on other weeds present products that contain dicamba+2,4-D (eg. Weedmaster), aminopyralid (eg. ForeFront, Milestone), triclopyr (eg. PastureGard, Crossbow), or metsulfuron (eg. Cimarron) can also be used. However, legumes such as clovers interseeded with grass pastures can be severely injured or killed by these herbicide products. For optimum results apply a herbicide in the early spring (February - March) before flowers are observed, when buttercup plants are still small and actively growing. For best herbicide activity wait until daytime air temperatures is greater than 50 F for two to three consecutive days. Consult the herbicide label for further information on grazing restrictions, precautions, or other possible limitations.
Tall Buttercup Control
For fields heavily infested with buttercup a variety of control tactics may be needed. Apply a herbicide to help reduce the population of buttercup plants in the spring plus use good pasture management techniques throughout the year to help improve and thicken the stand of desirable forages.
This plant often flourishes in over grazed pasture fields with poor stands of desirable forages.
Tall Buttercup Ranunculus Acris
Tall buttercup is an introduced perennial forb that is widespread throughout much of North America (Figure 1). It is invasive on irrigated and sub-irrigated pastures, meadows, stream banks, roadsides, and ditches. Tall buttercup forms a toxic substance, protoanemonin, when grazed or damaged. Although the plant is typically avoided by grazing animals, livestock poisoning may occur on overgrazed pastures where more desirable forage is lacking.
Tall Buttercup Flower
Identification and Spread
Tall buttercup is an herbaceous plant that grows from a stout rootstock. Basal leaves grow directly from the root crown or rhizome and are deeply divided into three to five palmate lobes (Figure 2). Stems are one to three feet tall, erect and hollow, with smaller leaves on upper portions of the stem. Each root crown has from one to several stems that are branched above. Soft hairs are present on both leaves and stems. Flowers typically have five, but may have up to eight rounded petals that are glossy yellow in color and about one-half inch long. The plant blooms from late May to September, depending on temperature and moisture.
Tall buttercup spreads primarily by seed but can also reproduce by rhizomes. Seeds are typically viable for less than two years when located in the top inch of soil but can survive longer when buried deeper.
Integrated Management
Integrating various management techniques—prevention along with herbicides, mechanical, manual, biological, and cultural methods—will optimize control of tall buttercup.
PREVENTION
Preventing seed spread by livestock and farm equipment will help protect non-infested pastures and meadows. Mowers and other equipment used on infested pastures should be cleaned to prevent movement of tall buttercup seed. Livestock grazing infested pastures should be held for at least three days prior to moving to non-infested grazing areas.
HERBICIDES
Selective herbicides can provide effective control of tall buttercup. Field trials were established on a hay meadow in western Montana to determine the effectiveness of several herbicides for controlling tall buttercup. Treatments included Milestone® herbicide at 5 and 7 fluid ounces per acre (fl oz/A), MCPA at 64 fl oz/A, and metsulfuron-methyl at 1 ounce of product per acre (oz/A). Herbicides were applied at late bud to bloom growth stage in early summer (June 8), and a second application was made in fall (September 16). Herbicides were applied with a CO2 backpack sprayer in 13.5 gallons of water per acre (Figure 3).
Results of the study showed that Milestone at 5 to 7 fluid ounces per acre provided greater than 95 percent control of tall buttercup one year after treatment when applied in either early summer or fall (Figures 4 and 5). MCPA provided greater than 95 percent control one year following an early summer application; however, control was less than 40 percent when applied in fall. Other field trials conducted in Montana show similar results with Milestone on tall buttercup (Strevey and Mangold 2015). Continued annual application of MCPA is discouraged due to reports of possible resistance to this herbicide within tall buttercup populations.
MECHANICAL AND MANUAL CONTROL
Mowing prior to seed set may reduce tall buttercup seed production; however, in most irrigated and sub-irrigated pastures, the plant will regrow after mowing and set seed later in the season. Proper timing of mowing is critical to promote growth of desirable plants and impact flowering of tall buttercup. Individual tall buttercup plants can be removed by pulling or digging in spring. The entire root system must be removed to control the plant.
BIOLOGICAL CONTROL
No biological control agents are currently available for tall buttercup. Livestock grazing generally increases tall buttercup density, since livestock avoid the plant.
Disturbance caused by livestock will provide open sites that favor establishment of tall buttercup.
CULTURAL CONTROL
Tall buttercup has low tolerance to dry conditions. Regulating the timing and amount of water applied to an infested site may reduce the competitive ability of tall buttercup. Promoting desirable grasses with supplemental fertilization, as well as managing livestock grazing, may reduce buttercup establishment.
References:
- Dow AgroSciences. Internal Field Data on Tall Buttercup. Accessed July 15, 2017.
- EDDMapS. 2017. Early Detection & Distribution Mapping System. The University of Georgia—Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health. Available online at http://www.eddmaps.org; last accessed July 17, 2017.
- Jacobs, J., M. Graves, and J. Mangold. 2010. Plant Guide: Tall Buttercup (Ranunculus acris L.). USDA—Natural Resources Conservation Service, Montana State Office. Bozeman, Montana 59715. Available online: https://plants.usda.gov/plantguide/pdf/pg_raac3.pdf
- Strevey, H., S. Davis, and J. Mangold. 2015. Tall Buttercup: Identification, Biology and Integrated Management. Montana State University. MT201502AG. Available online: https://store.msuextension.org/publications/AgandNaturalResources/MT201502AG.pdf
- Strevey, H. and J. Mangold. 2015. Testing Integrated Management Strategies for Tall Buttercup (Ranunculus acris) in Irrigated Hayfield Meadows. Invasive Plant Science and Management. Volume 8, Issue 4. pp. 385-392.
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Tall Buttercup Leaves
Published 2017; Reviewed June, 2019.