Celery Buttercup - introduced (*Ranunculus sceleratus)

Family: Ranunculaceae (Buttercup family).

Native of Europe.

Occurrence: Occasional record for Castlemaine e.g. Botanic Gardens beside Barkers Creek. It is more common in the Murray Valley, where it grows in shallow lakes and depressions.

Identification:

• the leaves deeply lobed or divided into three leaflets
• the lower leaves are on long stalks
• the flowers have five bright yellow petals
• the fruit are almost cylindrical with a domed apex.

The domed fruits and the erect habit (like a celery) make this a distinctive buttercup.

Photos: 1: Leaves. 2: Dried specimen. Diamond Gully, Castlemaine. 3, 4: Celery Buttercup. Tatura wetland. The cylindrical, domed fruits are distinctive.