Description: This native plant is an annual
or short-lived perennial about ½–2' tall that branches frequently.
The hollow stems are glabrous and slightly ribbed. The basal leaves are up to
3" long and across. They have long petioles that broaden at the base. Overall,
they are cordate or kidney-shaped (reniform), but have 3-5 shallow to deep
primary lobes, as well as blunt teeth or smaller secondary lobes. The alternate
leaves on the flowering stems are smaller in size and become reduced to 3
narrow lobes. A few of the upper leaves may be sessile and unlobed. Both the
basal and alternate leaves on the stems are fleshy and glabrous. The upper
stems terminate in yellow flowers up to 1/3" across. Each flower consists of 5
yellow petals and 5 yellowish green sepals. The petals and sepals are about the
same length and shape, but latter curves sharply downward. In the center of the
flower, is a prominent green fruit that is thimble-shaped and up to ½"
in length. It becomes longer as the flower matures. The fruit is surrounded by
numerous stamens with conspicuous yellow anthers. The blooming period occurs
from early to mid-summer and lasts about a month. The flat smooth seeds are
kidney-shaped, except for a blunt tip where the styles occurred. The root
system is coarsely fibrous. This plant often forms colonies in wet depressions
by reseeding itself.
Cultivation: The preference is wet conditions
and full sunlight or partial sunlight. The soil should contain lots of organic
matter with a wet mucky consistency. This plant grows readily in shallow water,
but will tolerate occasional droughts that cause the surface water to
evaporate. The foliage is little bothered by insects or
disease.
Range & Habitat: Cursed
Crowfoot occurs occasionally in scattered counties in Illinois, especially in
the NE, central, and SW areas of the state (see
Distribution
Map). At some sites, it may be locally common. Habitats include marshes,
seeps, borders of ponds or small lakes, mudflats and sandbars, swampy
meadows,
and
ditches. This plant appears to favor degraded wetlands, and may be slowly
spreading to other areas of the state.
Faunal
Associations: Primarily short-tongued bees, flies, and beetles visit
the the flowers for nectar or pollen. The seedheads are probably a minor source
of food to some species of waterfowl and small rodents, although there is
little specific information that is available. Because the succulent foliage
contains a strong blistering agent, it is unlikely that mammalian herbivores
utilize this plant as a food source to any significant extent. When livestock
consume this plant, the result is severe blistering and irritation of the
mouthparts and gastrointestinal tract.
Photographic Location: A seasonal wetland at Judge
Webber Park in Urbana, Illinois, where the plants were growing in wet
depressions. In the same general area, Cursed Crowfoot also occurs in roadside
ditches.
Comments: The foliage of Cursed Crowfoot is
more toxic than most Ranunculus spp. During earlier times, beggars
reportedly smeared the juices of the foliage on their faces and arms to create
blisters that would solicit sympathy and money from passers-by. Cursed Crowfoot
is rather easy to identify in the field because of the leaves, which are
succulent, palmately lobed, and hairless. The leaves of other Ranunculus
spp. within the state are either lobed and more or less hairy, or unlobed.
The thimble-shaped fruit of the small flowers is another distinctive feature of
this species.