Ranunculus trichophyllus Thread-leaved Water-crowfoot

A small, oten untidy looking annual or short-lived perennial water-crowfoot which grows in shallow water or in the wet mud at the edges of water bodies or flooded areas that dry up in summer and also in dune slacks. It is an early-flowering water-crowfoot which tends to grow in nutrient-rich water, but it is rather non-descript and easy to ignore. Usually, it only has thread-like capillary leaves, but rudimentary palmate leaves are sometimes present. A crowfoot with small white flowers (petals about 5mm) which have moon-shaped nectaries and only capillary leaves which are not circular and growing in shallow water or wet mud is likely to be this species. Forms of Common Water-crowfoot (Ranunculus aquatilis) and Pond Water-crowfoot (Ranunculus peltatus) that only have capillary leaves could be confused with it but those species have much larger flowers. It is found throughout most of southern Britain but it is rather local in Wales where it is confined mostly to coastal areas. It is locally common along the coast in West Glamorgan with significant populations in pools in the Morfa area.

Native