Ranunculus flammula Lesser Spearwort

A perennial buttercup which is found in a variety of wet habitats such as the marshy margins of ponds, lakes and canals, dune slacks, wet meadows, riparian flood zones, marshes and ditches. It prefers nutrient poor or mesotrophic conditions but will tolerate some degree of eutrophication. Although it is variable in form, it is usually distinctive with its neat, bright-yellow flowers and narrowly lanceolate leaves. Young or newly emerging plants have leaves which are relatively broader and more elliptical and sometimes confusing. Also, the morphology of individuals is often determined by the hydrological conditions and nutrient status of their environment. Non-flowering, submerged plants which produce elliptical floating leaves on long stalks can also be confusing. It is one of the most common wetland plants in Britain and Ireland and it is widespread and common in West Glamorgan.

Native