Ranunculus tripartitus Three-lobed Crowfoot

An annual water-crowfoot which occurs in nutrient-poor pools on heathland or in open, coppiced woodland. It has 3 (occasionally 5) lobed laminar, floating leaves and sometimes submerged, capillary leaves. It could be confused with Round-leaved Crowfoot (Ranunculus omiophyllus) but its leaves are more dissected and distinctly lobed (usually into 3) and the flowers are smaller. It is a rare species in the British Flora, confined to some dwindling populations along the south coast of England, Cornwall and coastal areas of Wales, where new populations have been discovered in recent years. It has also been rediscovered in Ireland recently but it remains extremely rare there. The only populations in West Glamorgan are in Gower where it grows in ditches and ponds. It was first recorded in Glamorgan by H.J. Riddelsdell, sometime before 1907, when he noted that it grew on Rhosili Down 'in some quantity'.

Native