Lesser spearwort (Ranunculus flammula) is commonly found in
wet and marshy places throughout Great Britain, including ditches and alongside
ponds and lakes. It is closely related to the buttercup, but has much narrower,
spear-like leaves.
The stems of lesser spearwort grow either upright or along
the ground, and when the latter happens they root themselves at intervals, thus
creating new plants. The plant can grow anything from two to 20 inches (5-50
centimetres) in height, and the yellow flowers, which usually appear singly, are
seen between May and September.
The sap of all members of the buttercup family is poisonous
to livestock, but that of lesser spearwort is especially so, and cattle and
sheep have died as a result of eating it. The name “flammula” derives from the
ability of the plant to cause inflammation of the skin in humans.
A distilled form of the sap has been used in medical
preparations as an emetic in cases of poisoning by other agents – the idea
being that the stomach will repel lesser spearwort immediately and thus throw
up other stomach contents that might be causing ever greater harm. However,
it’s probably best not to try it for oneself!
© John Welford
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