Japanese buttercup is a glossy yellow buttercup of East Asia, native to Japan, Korea, China, and Taiwan but not to North America. It's a close cousin of the meadow buttercup common in North America, and like most buttercups, its sap is poisonous.
Appearance
- Growth form
- A perennial 1–2¼ ft (30–70 cm) tall, with long white hairs on the stems and leaves.
- Leaves
- Long-stalked basal leaves are deeply cut into 3–5 lobes; upper leaves are narrow and stalkless.
- Flowers
- Shiny yellow flowers about ⅝–¾ in (1.5–2 cm) across, with five glossy petals, bloom in early summer in Japan.
- Fruit
- Small seeds cluster into a round head about ¼ in (5 mm) across.
Look-alikes
Meadow buttercupRanunculus acris
Photos alone may not settle it, since Japanese buttercup was once classified as a variety of meadow buttercup. Location is the best clue: Japanese buttercup is native to East Asia, while meadow buttercup is the one you'll find in North American fields.
Why they get mixed upBoth are tall, hairy buttercups with deeply lobed leaves and glossy yellow flowers.
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- Sunny meadows
- Hillsides
- Embankments
- Range
- Native to Japan (Hokkaido to the Ryukyu Islands), Korea, China, and Taiwan. It isn't one of the buttercups native to North America.
Cautions
- Cautions
- The sap contains , which irritates skin and can cause blisters. Eating the plant inflames the mouth and gut; in Japan, cattle have been poisoned by it.
Name and classification
- Varieties and forms
- A double-flowered form is grown and known in Japan as kinpōge.
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- NENot EvaluatedNot yet assessed
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