Ranunculus muricatus aka Rough Fruited Buttercup

Ranunculus muricatus belongs to the buttercup family, Ranunculaceae. It is an annual and lives for just one year. Its common names include rough-seed buttercup and spinyfruit buttercup. Another name is rough-fruited buttercup. Its native range runs from the Mediterranean to Central Asia. It reaches the western Himalaya and the Arabian Peninsula too. It grows in parts of southern Europe and North Africa. Its range also takes in parts of western and central Asia. Kew places it in the temperate biome, a broad climate zone. The RHS lists it as non-native to Britain and Ireland.

This small plant grows about 1 foot [0.3 metres] tall. Each flower has both male and female organs. Flies move pollen between the flowers. The supplied species accounts do not state when it blooms. Nor do they give its flower colour. They give no details of its leaves or stems. The RHS describes these traits for the genus as a whole. That does not show this species' exact form.

Plants For A Future lists this plant for cultivated beds. It grows in full sun or part shade. It accepts sand, loam, and clay as soil types. The soil can range from mildly acid to mildly alkaline. It prefers moist ground to dry soil. The account gives no rating for hardiness or frost limit. It says to sow seed in spring, where plants will grow. These needs suit a plant grown in moist, worked ground.

Its garden role needs care, since it grows among crops too. Plants For A Future calls it a weed of cornfields. That source says it can hold back plants growing nearby. It singles out legumes as plants at risk from this effect. Keep this effect on nearby plants in mind when choosing a site. The supplied accounts name no insect pests or plant diseases. They give no other landscape uses beyond cultivated beds.

Plants For A Future says all fresh parts are poisonous. The harsh sap can cause blisters on skin too. That source says heat or drying destroys the toxins. This does not show a food use or preparation method. The source lists no known food uses for this species. Reported uses as medicine include treating fever that keeps coming back. They also include treatment for gout and asthma. These records list uses, but do not prove safety or benefit. The supplied account lists no other uses.