Flora of Northern Ireland
  • Ranunculus penicillatus (Dumort.) Bab. - Stream Water-crowfoot - Ranunculaceae
Ranunculus penicillatus
© Neville McKee
Ranunculus penicillatus
© Neville McKee
Ranunculus penicillatus
© Ralph Forbes
Ranunculus penicillatus
(Map updated: March 2008)
Ranunculus penicillatus
© Ian Dodkins
 

This is the commonest and one of the most robust water-crowfoots. It is very frequent in quite fast-flowing rivers or streams, rooted to the stream bed but with long branching stems swept out by the water current. Often it will form dense and very conspicuous beds, and when in full flower, is very attractive in appearance.

Flowers are white (or very pale pink), somewhat larger than all other water-crowfoots. Leaves are either finely dissected if submerged, or rounded and lobed. Individual plants will normally carry both kinds of leaf at time of flowering (May to August).

Sometimes not easily distinguished from Ranunculus peltatus.

All names: Ranunculus penicillatus (Dumort.) Bab.; Ranunculus aquatilis ssp. pseudofluitans (Syme) Chapman; Ranunculus pseudofluitans (Syme) Newbouldex Bak. & Foggitt

NBN Atlas mapping: Species account : NBN Atlas UK Species Observations database

iNaturalist: Species account : iNaturalist World Species Observations database