7.) RANUNCULACEAE - Buttercup family - Pages

7.) RANUNCULACEAE - Buttercup family

RANUNCULACEAE - Buttercup family

CALTHA L.

Caltha palustris L. (Marsh Marigold) / Wetland Frequent Scattered and locally frequent on wet or boggy ground such as the margins of ponds and lakes, banks of ditches, streams, canals and rivers, wet boggy woodland, springs and occasionally damp pastures. Plants with narrower sepals and longer beaked carpels were formerly recognised in local historical texts as var. guerangerii. It is no longer recognised today but is still of interesting note. White (1912) mentions 3 locations for it - "Stapleton by the Frome, 1879; in a boggy meadow near Bitton, Miss Roper; Botlands, Chew Magna."
var. palustris Wetland Frequent The native plant with the same status and distribution as for the species.
var. barthei Hance / Wetland Very Rare Found twice by D. Peters. Long naturalised in a semi-natural pond at Horfield Common where it regenerates prolifically both by runners and seed, and at a similar pond at Golden Hill Allotments. This variety differs from the native plant in having much larger flowers, measuring greater than 50mm, larger leaves and in the case of our plants, produces very robust runners, rooting along each node. The native plant is much more compact and forms clumps. Some records of the species might belong here. Many ornamental cultivars have been produced, including those with white, red and flore pleno flowers.

HELLEBORUS L.

Helleborus foetidus L. (Stinking Hellebore) / Woodland Uncommon A scarce native of ancient woodland; particularly those which are rocky and overlay carboniferous and Oolitic limestones such as at Cleeve Toot and Churchill Batch but also widely grown in gardens and sometimes used in public planting displays. Increasingly recorded escaping into marginal habitats but doesn't usually persist. The name comes from the smell given off by its foliage when bruised or crushed.
Helleborus argutifolius Viv. (Corsican Hellebore) / General Very Rare A very rare garden escape, occasionally becoming naturalised in woodland. First recorded in 1988 from Stoke Bishop, Bristol, by I.F.G. and determined by A.L.G. and since recorded from a few more places in the mid-west portion of Bristol; sparsely scattered elsewhere.
Helleborus viridis L. ssp. occidentalis (Reut.) Schiffn. (Green Hellebore) - Woodland Scarce A scarce native of ancient woodland, wooded stream banks, old hedgebanks, steep grassy slopes and occasionally fields (likely relics of former orchards - White (1912) mentions a number of records from orchards) and like its stinking counterpart H. foetidus, is widely cultivated (though not as frequently) and sometimes escapes.
Helleborus orientalis Lam. (ssp. orientalis) (Lenten-rose) / General Rare The most commonly cultivated Hellebore. Occasional garden escape but more often persists as a relic of planting. Lenten-rose is very variable; particularly in flower colour, ranging from white to yellowish-green, purple and anything in between. Probably all of our plants should actually go with the next taxa.
Helleborus niger × H. orientalis = H. x hybridus Voss (Hybrid Lenton-rose / Garden Hellebore) General Rare An artificial hybrid much cultivated and sometimes escaping or persisting as a garden throw-out. Probably all of our plants recorded as 'H. orientalis' really belong here.

ERANTHIS Salisb.

Eranthis hyemalis (L.) Salisb. (Winter Aconite) / General Very Rare A very rare garden escape or relic of planting. Found persisting in a hedgebank east of Charlcombe in 1978 by T.C. and in Wrington in 1985 by Mrs P. Milne; Charlcombe, Bath in 1998 by P. Green; Clifton Downs in 2017 by R. Bland; Stoke Gifford in 2019 by a City Nature Challenge recorder; and most recently a sparse patch looking like it had been there a very long time was found underneath a large Oak tree at Cotham Gardens, Bristol by D. Peters in 2021 and from Castle Park in 2023 by D. Peters also. Historic records: "included in a list of plants published in Winscombe Sketches among the Mendip Hills." and "Mr. David Fry informs me that some years ago he observed a single plant on a hedgebank at Brislington near an old established patch of Lamium maculatum." (White, 1912); "Little Sodbury, Cope." (Riddelsdell, 1948).

[Eranthis cilicica Schott & Kotschy is mentioned in Stace as recorded from N. Somerset and E. x tubergenii (hybrid between the two) is grown in gardens - find out!]

NIGELLA L.

Nigella damascena L. (Love-in-a-mist) / General Frequent A frequent garden escape which can persist and become naturalised in disturbed areas such as allotments, pavements and wasteground. Often introduced with spoil and commonly used in ornamental 'bee-friendly' mixes. It sets seed prolifically and is spread by ants. Typically the flowers are sky blue in colour but white, pink, magenta and even dark purple variants exist.
Nigella gallica Jord. (Pale Fennel-flower) General Extinct Apparently a first record for Britain. Recorded once as a casual from Bristol in 1925 by C.I. & N.Y. Sandwith (Riddelsdell, 1948).

["Bristol, B.E.C., 1925, 763." - Riddelsdell, 1948]

Nigella arvensis L. ssp. arvensis (Wild Fennel-flower) General Very Rare Recorded once in Bishopsworth, Bristol in 2017 by ?.

[Record probably wrong - check!]

ACONITUM L.

Aconitum napellus L. ssp. nepellus (A. anglicum Stapf) (Monk's-hood) /- General Rare Not known to be native in our region. All records are of garden escapes but two sites from just outside the region are thought to be indigenous: Ozleworth Bottom (South Gloucestershire) - discovered here in 1988 by M.A.R.K. & C.K. but Riddelsdell (1948) mentions it from "Ozleworth Valley, L.A.F.C., 1908." And also long known from Downside Common, near Edford (North Somerset) along a marshy wooded valley. White (1912) states it occurring "in patches of considerable size, and extends at least a mile and a half - probably more." The close proximity of these two stations to our region suggests there's no reason why it couldn't have been native here at some point in the past. Monk's-hood has long been cultivated in Britain for ornament and probably intrigue for its deadly toxicity. It is said that with large doses, "death is almost instantaneous" - initially causing nausea, vomiting, and diarrhoea, soon followed by a sensation of burning, tingling, and numbness in the facial area, burning in the abdomen and eventually leading to heart failure. Its reputation is likely over-exaggerated but is speculated to be the reason behind at least some cases of garden throw-outs.

CONSOLIDA (DC.) Gray

Consolida ajacis (L.) Schur (Larkspur) General Very Rare A very rare casual of disturbed places such as roadsides, rubbish tips and waste ground. Recorded from Clifton Wood in 1984 by A.L.G.; Upper Stockwood in 1984 by R.D.M.; Lawrenceweston in 1986 by ? and Kingsweston in 1987 by I.F.G., and most recently from Avonmouth in 2015 by C.M. Lovatt & E.J.McDonnell and Bath in 2018 by R.D. Randall. Formerly occurred as a rare casual in cornfields, waste places and on rubbish heaps. "St. Vincent's Rocks, July, 1850; Herb. Cundall." "Cornfield near Dursley, 1865; St. Brody in Herb. Br. Mus." "At the old colliery working known as "Holly Gess," near Kingswood, 1883-8. On made ground in St. Philip's Marsh, sparingly in 1902; two plants there in 1903; four in 1904; and a dozen or so in 1905." "In a sandy field near Kewstoke, several years in succession; T. F. Perkins." (White, 1912); Bedmister, 1922 by C.I. Sandwith; "Near Bristol, Thwaites" (Riddelsdell, 1948).
Consolida regalis Gray (Delphinium consolida L. ssp. consolida) (Forking Larkspur) Extinct Formerly a very rare casual. "Weston-super-Mare 1850; Herb Lawrence" and "mentioned in an anonymous list of Bristol Plants of date about 1830;" "casual at St. Philip's, Bristol in 1904." (White, 1912); and recorded by C.I. Sandwith from Shirehampton in 1912 and Bedminster in 1932; and twice recorded from Avonmouth Docks: First in 1926 by I.M. Roper and again in 1939 by ?.

["Avonmouth Docks, 1926, Roper. As D. consolida, Shirehampton; Avonmouth, B.E.C., 1932, 320." - Riddelsdell, 1948]

ANEMONE L.

Anemone nemorosa L. (Anemonoides nemorosa (L.) Holub) (Wood Anemone) / Woodland Frequent A locally frequent component of ancient woodland and an Ancient Woodland Indicator. Also occurs in ancient hedgebanks and occasionally in grassland on heavy clay soils as a survivor of former woodland. Occasionally pink and purple flowers are produced (var. purpurea). White (1912) mentions a peculiar form “in which the sepals presented themselves in the form of leaves shaped like in the ordinary leaves of the species but much smaller, was met with by Miss Roper in May, 1909 on a wooded slope of Hartcliff Rocks, S.” and a “form of stamen-phyllody [mutant leaf-like stamens] is noted in the Bristol district” by Riddelsdell (1948). ”Wind-flower is another name more commonly used in the past and Lady’s Nightcap is a local Gloucestershire name.
Anemone ranunculoides L. ssp. ranunculoides (Yellow Anemone) Woodland Extinct Once found as a garden escape near Lower Woods Lodge, Wetmoor in 1984 by S.A.W.-M. and P.J.T.B.
Anemone apennina L. (Blue Anemone) / Woodland Very Rare A very rare introduction, sometimes becoming well established in woodland and churchyards where it may grow alongside Wood Anemone. First recorded from Iron Acton (White, 1912) where it grew "on a rocky bank between the outer walls of the dismantled mill and the mill-leat" and from "Alveston" by I.M. Roper (Riddelsdell, 1948).
Anemone blanda Schott & Kotschy (Anemonoides blanda (Schott & Kotschy) Holub) (Balkan Anemone) / General Very Rare Very rare but persists and occasionally naturalises into grassy places close to previous plantings (the seeds are spread by ants). First recorded in the region at Bath in 2004 by ?; Brandon Hill in 2009 by R. Bland; Eastville Park in 2010 by ?; Chipping Sodbury in 2016 by R.J. Higgins; Clevedon in 2018 by D. Holladay & P. Millman; Cleeve Wood? in 2021 by ?; Leigh Woods in 2021 by C.M. Lovatt & E.J.McDonnell; a different part of Clevedon in 2021 by E.J.McDonnell; and recorded a number of times in Bristol by D. Peters: naturalised along a lane just off Maple Rd., 2020; a small patch along Ladies Mile, Clifton Down in 2023; self-sown on gravel in a front garden on Church Rd in 2023; persistent in an old flower bed in a residential area just off Vintery Leys, Westbury-on-Trym in 2023 and most recently from Eastville Park in 2024 where it grows en masse from an original planting and has become sparsely naturalised along an adjacent grass bank.
Anemone hupehensis x A. vitifolia = A. x hybrida Paxton (Japanese Anemone) / General Scarce Commonly grown in gardens, often escaping at the bases of walls and persists as a garden throw-out. The ordinary plant is pink-flowered but occasionally white forms are found (often the cultivar 'Honorine Jobert').

PULSATILLA Mill.

Pulsatilla vulgaris Mill. (Pasqueflower) 1740 - Grassland Extinct Mentioned around the year 1740 in an "MS. Descriptions of British Plants" by Dillenius. White (1912) extracts the following note: "Pulsatilla vulgaris, flore majore.... nascitur porro copiosius in collibus Glocestriensis comitatus v.g. Byburye [Bibury], et semina habui inter Bathoniam et Bristoliam lecta, e quibus haec species in Horto Oxoniense crevit." ["Pulsatilla vulgaris, with a larger flower... grows more abundantly in the hills of the county of Gloucester, e.g. Bibury, and I had seeds collected between Bath and Bristol, from which this species grew in the garden of Oxford."] "I have not met with any corroboration of this statement and can throw no light upon it. But it is not in the least improbable that the plant once grew, if it does not still, on some of the suitable ground about Kelston, North Stoke and Lansdown." Unfortunately this species has not since been discovered in the areas White suggested.

CLEMATIS L.

Clematis vitalba L. (Traveller's-joy) / General Common Common in scrub, woodland (where it can obtain an impressive height), hedgerows, railway lines etc. Largely confined to lime-rich soils and absent from the Levels and Moors. It holds its own in even the most urban of areas - quickly colonising alongside fences and any other marginal ground managing to escape the constant onslaught of 'neat and tidy' obliteration. And young plants can often be found growing along kerbsides where no source is to be seen. The feathery seeds are designed to be wind-dispersed but they are often gathered by small birds for nesting material and perhaps this is the main method for colonising hedgerows and scrub. Traveller's-joy is so named "because of its decking and adorning the ways and hedges where people travel," Gerard, p. 886. (White, 1912). Old Man's-beard is another commonly used name for its beard-like seed-heads but others include: Bedwind, Bethwine, Honesty, Half-wood, Tuzzy-muzzy, Withwind and Withywine - a selection of local Gloucestershire names and Hag-rope, Hedge-rope and Devil's-guts are a few additions from Somerset.
Clematis flammula L. (Virgin's-bower) 1936 General Extinct Found at Avonmouth docks in 1935 by E.J. Clement and in 1936 from Bourton Combe, North Somerset by I. Evans.
Clematis tangutica (Maxim.) Korsh. (Orange-peel Clematis / Golden Virgin's-bower) Very Rare First recorded from Paulton, North Somerset in 1999 by H.J. Crouch as a seedling growing between the paving of a driveway and in 2010 a large patch was found at Roundhill Wood, South Gloucestershire by M.A.R.K. & C.K., growing on a dumped spoil heap on the edge of a field.
Clematis montana (Himalayan Clematis) / Very Rare Very Rare Commonly grown in gardens and sometimes escapes into marginal habitats such as hedgerows. First recorded at Newton Saint Loe in 2012 by ?, then at Bath in 2018 by R.D. Randall?. Recorded 3 times by R. Bland? in 2019: Cock Road Ridge Open Space?, Clifton?, and Narroways?; and most recently in 2022 by D. Peters, escaping from Woodman's Cottage, Blaise Castle.
Clematis cirrhosa L. (Early Virgin's-bower) Very Rare Very rare but widely grown in gardens. Mostly as var. Balearica with deeply dissected, fern-like leaves. (See below for records).
var. cirrhosa Very Rare Recorded once growing through an old stone wall on Fishponds Rd in 2024 by D. Peters.
var. balearica (Rich.) Willk. & Lange Very Rare Recorded for the first time in the Bristol region in 2023, growing through an old wall and sprawling over a derelict garden courtyard on Tortworth Rd., Bristol by D. Peters. And in 2024 a small self-seeded plant was found at the base of a wall along Battery Lane, Portishead also by D. Peters.

RANUNCULUS L.

Subgenus Ranunculus - Buttercups

Ranunculus acris L. (Meadow Buttercup) / General Common Common throughout the region, predominantly in grassland but also damp open woods, marshes and roadsides. Very variable. Past generations have tried to organise them into different segregates from plants described on the continent by Jordan. As mentioned in White (1912) Mr. Cedric Bucknall took the lead in fitting our plants under 7 varieties: var. boraeanus, var. tomophyllus, var. rectus, var. pumilus, var. stevenii, var. friesianus and var. vulgatus but they were soon found to be too trivial and by the time of Riddelsdell (1948) a new variety - var. multifidus was used to replace var. boraeanus, with var. tomophyllus becoming a form of it. Var. stevenii and var. rectus were clumped together under the former name and var. friesianus and var. vulgatus did the same also. Var. multifidus was used to describe plants with no creeping rhizome, stems with a high angle of branching, more or less glabrous below, and leaves deeply divided into long narrow acute segments. Var. stevenii was used for plants with a persistent creeping rhizome, stems with spreading branches, often densely hairy below, and leaves with 3 - 5 cuneate (tapering towards the base) non-overlapping segments which are not further cut beyond the middle; and var. friesianus with creeping rhizomes, slender divaricate branches, and lower leaves incompletely divided into very broad contiguous or overlapping lobes with short ovate-triangular segments. Eventually all was scrapped except for var. friesianus which is now raised to subspecific level (see below). The rest can be regarded as ssp. acris. Occasionally forms occur with petals half the normal length or much reduced. A double-flowered form was recorded in a pasture between Hallen and Lawrence Weston by J.W.White (White, 1912) and from Rockhampton in the 1940s by E. Nelmes (Riddelsdell, 1948). Crazy and Gold Knops / Nobs are a couple of local Gloucestershire names also used for Creeping and Bulbous Buttercup. Gillcups and Lady's Slipper are local Somerset names.
ssp. acris Common The common and widespread taxon with the same distribution as the species.
ssp. friesianus (Jord.) Syme Extinct Formerly occurred in a number of places as mentioned by White (1912): Hallen Marsh; Westbury-on-Trym; Shirehampton; Brentry; Pilning; Compton Greenfield; Pucklechurch; Stoke Gifford; Hambrook and Olveston from South Gloucestershire and Markham Bottom; Keynsham; Saltford meadows; D. Fry. from North Somerset. The disappearance of this plant is peculiar. Stace describes it as a former alien with no recent records but these locations seem perfectly native. More likely no one's been looking for it. Surely it still occurs somewhere?
Ranunculus repens L. (Creeping Buttercup) / General Very Common Very common in a wide range of habitats but especially thrives on heavy clay soils in meadows, pastures, marshes, woodland rides, roadsides, cultivated ground and waste places. A double-flowered form was found at "Westerleigh, 1915" by J.W. White (Riddelsdell, 1948). Usually 5 petals are produced but a plant with 8 petals was found at Nailsea by Miss Roper (White, 1912). Creeping Crazy and Gold Nobs are local Gloucestershire names and Ram's-claws is an interesting name from Somerset.
Ranunculus bulbosus L. ssp. bulbosus var. bulbosus (Bulbous Buttercup) / General Common Common throughout the region in a range of habitats but prefers those with well-drained soils such as dry grassland, meadows, roadsides, waste places and sometimes cultivated ground.

forma albonaevus (Jord.) - "Miss Roper, in B.E.C. 1924, 706, records as forma albonaevus (Jord.) a plant from Redland (Distr. 5), the leaves of which were white-spotted, though they did not in all other respects agree with Jordan's description. The name is, however, rejected in B.E.C., 1932, 243."

Ranunculus sardous Crantz (Hairy Buttercup) General Extinct Formerly a rare casual. Last found at Avonmouth Docks in 1984 by A.L.G. and Kingsweston in 1987 by I.F.G. and once grew more widely.

A number of historical records exist: "Low meadows below Bristol Hotwells, plentiful, 1804, Rev. W. Baker in B.G., Near Bristol, Thwaites." and var. inermis Babey. - "St Philip's Marsh (E), 1906, J. W. White; cf. B.N.S., 1935, 118." are mentioned in Glos. Fl. - they refer to plants with tubercules on achenes present (normal form) and absent.

Ranunculus muricatus L. (Rough-fruited Buttercup) 1897 General Extinct One recorded as an alien at St. Philip's Marsh, Bristol in 1932 by C.I. Sandwith.
Ranunculus parviflorus L. (Small-flowered Buttercup) General Very Rare Very Rare and only persistent at Sand Point where it was first recorded by White (1912) in 1898. Elsewhere found at Leigh Woods in 1975 by ?; Frampton Cotterel in 1998 by ?; Avon Gorge in 1999 by ?; Bleadon in 2007 by ?; and most recently at Avonmouth Docks in 2017 by ?.
Ranunculus arvensis L. (Corn Buttercup) General Rare Persistent on arable land at Marshfield. Elsewhere occurs as a rare casual sometimes coming in with wildflower seed mixes.
Ranunculus falcatus ssp. falcatus) (Bur Buttercup) Extinct Once occurred as a casual at Bristol, C.I. Sandwith - recorded under the name Ceratocephalus falcatus.

[I'm presuming it's ssp. falcatus but it could equally be ssp. incurvus - need to check Sandwith's herbarium]

Ranunculus auricomus L. (Goldilocks Buttercup) / Woodland Frequent Typically a plant of ancient woodland but a record of interesting note was made of a plant growing at the base of a wall along the harbour-side quay not far from Castle Park in 2023 by D. Peters. It did not survive long as it was later destroyed with weedkiller! Goldilocks Buttercup is apomictic (reproduces cloned seeds without the need for pollination) and very variable. It's thought that Britain's flora could be split into about 200 microspecies of which the Bristol Region probably holds a considerable number. White, 1912 mentions var. apetalus Wallroth. - a plant with 0 petals "quite plentiful on grassy roadsides etc., east of the Gloucester Road between Patchway and Alveston."
Ranunculus trilobus Desf. (Three-lobe Buttercup - Wikipedia) 1915 General Extinct Once recorded at St Philip's Marsh in 1918 by C.I. Sandwith.

"has been found at St Philip's Marsh (E), Bristol, along with R. sardous; cf. J. Bot., 1918, 13."

Ranunculus sceleratus L. (Celery-leaved Buttercup) / Wetland Frequent Locally frequent in marshy areas such as besides ponds, rhynes and rives; mainly on the Levels and Moors and along the Bristol Channel boundry. Scattered elsewhere.
Ranunculus lingua L. (Greater Spearwort) / Wetland Rare Very rare as a native and confined to rhynes in the Gordano Valley and in a pond near Churchill. Elsewhere a scattered introduction.
Ranunculus flammula L. ssp. flammula (Lesser Spearwort) - Wetland Uncommon Uncommon in marshes, bogs and flushes; mostly on peaty soils. And widely introduced in man-made ponds.
Ranunculus ophioglossifolius Vill. (Adder's-tongue Spearwort) - Wetland Very Rare Very rare and intermittent in appearance from year to year. Discovered new to the region in 1926 by C.I. & N.Y. Sandwith at Inglestone Common.

Subgenus BATRACHIUM - Water Crow-foots

Ranunculus hederaceus L. (Ivy-leaved Crowfoot) Wetland Very Rare Rare in ponds and ditches. Found at Emersons Green in 1988 by J.H.S.; Siston Common in 1991 by D.E.G.; near West End, Nailsea in 2000 by P.Q. and confirmed by R.J.H.
Ranunculus omiophyllus Ten. (Round-leaved Crowfoot) Wetland Very Rare Recorded at Woolvers Hill in 2000 by ? and near Puxton in 2003 by ?. Mentioned by White under the name R. lenormandii and recorded at "Oldlands Common, near Bitton; R. Withers and T. B. Flower" and "Shirehampton; T. B. Flower." (White, 1912).

R. lenormandii Schultz. R. caenosus Bab. - 2 records according to NBN

Ranunculus baudotii Godr. (Brackish Water-crowfoot) Wetland Scarce Restricted to brackish rhynes, ditches and ponds near the coast.
Ranunculus baudotii × R. trichophyllus = R. × segretii A. Félix (Brackish x Thread-leaved Water-crowfoot) Wetland Extinct Recorded once from "near Huntspill Rev. R. P. Murray." (White, 1912).

Ranunculus Baudotii x R. tricophyllus or Drouetii? - R. P. Murray (Brackish x Thread-leaved Water-crowfoot) - "From near Huntspill Rev. R. P. Murray obtained a possible hybrid between this species and either tricophyllus or Drouetii." - Brist. Fl.

Ranunculus trichophyllus Chaix (Thread-leaved Water-crowfoot) Wetland Scarce
Ranunculus trichophyllus x R. aquatilis = R. x lutzii A. Félix (Thread-leaved x Common Water-crowfoot) Wetland Very Rare
Ranunculus tricophyllus x R. peltatus (Thread-leaved x Pond Water-crowfoot) Wetland Extinct Found at “Brimscombe Farm, between Chipping Sodbury and Wickwar, B.E.C., 1915, 310, and J. Bot., 1918, 12." (Riddelsdell, 1948)
Ranunculus aquatilis L. (Common Water-crowfoot) / Wetland Scarce The most common Water-crowfoot inthe region; occurring in shallow ponds, streams and rhynes; mainly in the Gordano Valley. Widely planted in man-made ponds and vary variable.
Ranunculus peltatus Schrank (Pond Water-crowfoot) Wetland Rare Rare and declining species of clean, still slow-flowing waters.
Ranunculus penicillatus (Dumort.) Bab. ssp. pseudofluitans (Syme) S.D. Webster (R. fluitans × R. peltatus = R. × pseudofluitans (Syme) Newbould ex Baker & Foggitt) (Stream Water-crowfoot) / Wetland Scarce The second most frequent Water-crowfoot in the region and often the only one found in most rivers and streams.
Ranunculus fluitans Lam. (River Water-crowfoot) 1917 Wetland Extinct Formerly grew at Bittern and last recorded in 1917 by ?.
Ranunculus circinatus Sibth. (Fan-leaved Water-crowfoot) Wetland Scarce Occurs in rhynes and ponds on the Levels and Moors. Formerly more widespread. It requires clean base-rich water and has disappeared from a number of localities.

FICARIA Schaeff.

Ficaria verna Huds. (Ranunculus ficaria L.) (Lesser Celandine) / General Very Common Very Common in woodland, hedgerows, roadsides, banks of rivers and streams, pastures, gardens, parks and churchyards. Only the species is mapped but ssp. fertilis and ssp. verna make up the majority of records.
ssp. fertilis (Lawalrée ex Laegaard) Stace (Ranunculus ficaria ssp. fertilis A.R. Clapham ex Laegaard) Common Common and with the same range as the species and more or less as common as ssp. verna but tends to prefer damper slightly more open habitats and grows clumps.
ssp. verna (Ranunculus ficaria ssp. ficaria) Common Common and with the same range as the species and just as common as ssp. fertilis but tends to prefer slightly more enclosed habitats where it grows in patches and frequently carpets woodland floors in spring.
ssp. ficariiformis (F.W. Schultz) B. Walln. (Ranunculus ficaria ssp. ficariiformis Rouy & Foucaud) Very Rare Mentioned under the name var. incumbens by White (1912) to be "rather rare about Bristol, and seems to be confined to moist shaded situations on low ground, where the plants are luxuriant. I have met with it in fruit about the coppices in Ashton Park. Lane leading from the Bourton road to Backwell. Barrow Gurney. Norton Malreward. Whitchurch. Yanley Lane. Ubley. Saltford; D. Fry. Near the old mill at Iron Acton, G." It is classed as non-native but possibly native in the South West by Stace - as is surely the case in our region.

"Luxuriant plants on damp shaded hedgebanks develop these bulbous bodies or aerial tubers in the axils of foliage leaves at the end of April. I have specimens from a sheltered lane at Barrow Gurney with stems a foot long carrying at least three leafy nodes, the lower ones with bulbils. The central node on these stems has produced tufts of from four to six opposite long-stalked leaves, and the upper node usually two much smaller ones. Many of the leaves on these plants are conspicuously angular or ivy-shaped. The tubers of its fasciculate root together with those borne upon the stems, any one of which can produce a new plant, render this species quite independent of fruit for its propagation." - var. incumbens is a synonym for what is now subsp. calthifolia which does not occur with us. The description matches ssp. ficariiformis. - Brist. Fl. - Ficaria verna (Stace, NBN, GBIF) abnormal form - "possessing 13 to 18 petals and five sepals. These were collected at Shirehampton in March, 1868, by the Rev. W. W. Spicer." - likely ssp. fertilis or ssp. ficariiformis. - Brist. Fl. - Ficaria verna (Stace, NBN, GBIF) a form in which all the stamens were petaloid - "a very pretty plant - occurred as a weed in House’s Combe Nursery; 1904." - an ornamental escape - likely ssp. ficariiformis - was possibly ‘Collarette’ Dorset Perennials. - Brist. Fl. - Ficaria verna (Stace, NBN, GBIF) Double flowers - "observed at Queen Charlton by Mr. C. Withers." - likely ssp. ficariiformis 'Flore Pleno' Shire Plants. - Brist. Fl.

ssp. chrysocephala (P.D. Sell) Stace (Ranunculus ficaria ssp. chrysocephalus P.D.Sell) Very Rare Recorded twice by D. Peters in 2023; first from Horfield Common where it grows in a wild corner of a lane on the back of a garden and also along Muller Rd on a woodland bank connecting onto Purdown. It will probably exist elsewhere.

MYOSURUS L.

Myosurus minimus L. (Mousetail) 1911 General Very Rare Until recently thought to be long extinct but was discovered after a gap of over 110 years! near Oldbury-on-Severn in 2021? by ?. Previously recorded from a cornfield on alluvial clay in the parish of Portbury where it was discovered "by Miss Hill and Miss Peacock, in company, early in 1908. In May, 1909, I was conducted to the place. The crop and accompanying weeds had so overgrown the Myosurus, then in fruit, that it could not be easily seen; but evidently there was a large quantity of it extending about 100 yards along one side of the field. Although still in the same enclosure the plant had deserted the spot where it was first noticed the year before - a circumstance in accord with the peculiar sporadic nature of the species. In 1910 it was found to have removed to a third portion of this large field, at a considerable distance from the two previously observed stations; while in 1911 it went back to the original one." (White, 1912). It was last seen here in 1913. Additionally noted growing in fields near Penpole and Blaise Castle in a reference in the Proceedings of the Botanical Society of London for 1839 by Mr. Thos. Hancock along with several other extremely doubtful or impossible plants during an excursion with several members of the British Association in the early part of September, 1836. White did not accept it; commenting "the whole story bears the stamp or unreliability." The tiny seeds are thought to be able to remain viable for an extraordinary length of time, perhaps even a few hundreds years! And they probably get transported around on farm machinery. It may be discovered elsewhere in the future.

[record on BSBI DB]

ADONIS L.

Adonis annua L. ssp. annua (Pheasant's-eye) 1938 General Extinct Formerly occurred as a rare casual or colonist of cultivated land and waste places. Historical records include: "By an old quarry (now filled up) on Durdham Down, July, 1855. Waste ground at Redland; A. Leipner. Baptist Mills, no date; Herb. Stephens. Westbury, 1909. Several plants on cultivated land above Arno's Vale, 1907; Miss Edmonds. Two in Portishead Station-yard, 1907! Miss Roper. Several there in 1909. A large one on West Hill, Wraxall, June, 1909; J. W. Eves. Reported thence also by Miss Agnes Fry. Cornfields on Rush Hill and Odd Down near Bath; T. B. Flower in Fl. Som." (White, 1912). Additionally found at Avonmouth Docks in 1932 by C.I. Sandwith? and last seen at Ashton Gate in 1939 by C.I. Sandwith?.
Adonis aestivalis L. ssp. aestivalis (Summer Pheasant's-eye) 1907 General Extinct Formerly a very rare casual imported with grain. First recorded at Portishead Station-yard in 1907 and at St. Philip's Marsh in 1916 (both by I.M. Roper); Avonmouth Docks in 1931 by C.I. Sandwith and also at Ashton Gate in 1940 by C.I. Sandwith?.

AQUILEGIA L.

Aquilegia vulgaris L. (Columbine) / General Frequent As a native rare and restricted to ancient woodland on Oolitic and Carboniferous limestones but frequent as a garden escape and often becomes well naturalised along pavements, roadsides, hedgebanks and waste places. The native plant is said to have deep blue or white flowers but this is probably not strictly true as in some perfectly native-looking locations such as the Gully in the Avon Gorge, pink-flowered plants occur alongside the typical colour-forms and White (1912) describes a plant he found on Backwell Hill "which bore flowers with ten spurred petals of customary size, each of which contained a series of three other petals enclosed one within the other, "hose-in-hose" fashion." Cultivated plants will have arisen from such variants found in the wild. In many locations its native status is hard to tell.

THALICTRUM L.

Thalictrum aquilegiifolium L. (French Meadow-rue) / General Very Rare A very rare garden escape. First recorded west of Puxton, North Somerset in 1989 by R.D.M. And a young self-seeded plant was found close to its garden source along a narrow lane just off Summerhill Rd, leading to Trooper's Hill, Bristol in 2023 by D. Peters.
Thalictrum flavum L. (ssp. flavum) (Common Meadow-rue) / Wetland Scarce A species predominantly of damp lowland meadows (especially those subject to flooding), banks of rhynes, rivers and sometimes lake margins; mainly in the Gordano Valley, Nailsea Moor and around Blagdon Lake. Now much scarcer than formerly due to the draining of marshland in the past and more recently lack of appropriate management. In the past T. flavum was "divided into three segregates distinguished chiefly by the shape of the fruits, but these are so generally subject to the attack of a gall-fly [Ametrodiplosis thalictricola] that it is often difficult to obtain well-developed specimens. Still, there is little doubt that the great bulk of our plants belong to T. sphaerocarpum Lej., with broadly ovoid, almost globular fruit and a contracted panicle. On the peat moors of Burtle and Edington [outside our region], however, we have a different form with narrower carpels and (usually) a lax panicle, which Herr Freyn says is correctly named T. riparium Jord." (White 1912). But they are no longer accepted today.
Thalictrum minus L. (ssp. minus) (Lesser Meadow-rue) / General Very Rare As a native, extremely rare. Only one plant exists - rooted into the crack of a very precarious rock, in the Gully, Avon Gorge. First recorded by Sole about 1786 and appears never to have been plentiful. By the time White got to know the spot in June, 1882, "only three small plants existed and they did not flower. By 1897 the number had been reduced to two. These were still living in 1901, but not flowering" (White, 1912). The individual surviving today has been flowering since the 1980s and is thought to be over 150 years old! Despite setting seed it appears to be self-incompatible and in all that time no offspring has been produced. It is quite literally 'hanging on the edge.' Also occurs as a rare but widespread garden escape. First found at Nailsea? in 1985 by ?; Keynsham? in 1985 by ?; Brandon Hill? in 2001 by R. Bland?; Callington?, Bristol in 2005 by ?; Whitehall? in 2010 by ?; Knowle? in 2015 by?; and recorded a number of times by D. Peters around Bristol: found growing out of an old Stone Wall on Fishponds Rd in 2022; Coldharbour Rd, escaping from underneath a fence on a brick wall in 2022; escaping from a garden on the corner of Whitehall Rd, meeting with Gordon Rd in 2023; Maple Rd in 2023; and on Frenchay Park Rd in 2023. Lesser Meadow-rue is an extremely variable species with about 8 unsettled segregates probably representing many more ecotypes in Britain. Ours are here placed under ssp. minus which covers the plants associated with limestone rock-type habitats but our sole surviving native plant probably best fits the segregate T. montanum and some of our garden escapes are probably referable to T. flexuosum.

[not sure whether to mention records - there might be enough to map it out]

List:

Caltha palustris L. (var. palustris - Stace, Kew) (Marsh Marigold) / Wetland
Helleborus foetidus L. (Stinking Hellebore) / Woodland
Helleborus argutifolius Viv. (Corsican Hellebore) / General
Helleborus viridis L. ssp. occidentalis (Reut.) Schiffn. (Green Hellebore) - Woodland
Helleborus orientalis Lam. ssp. orientalis (Kew) (Lenten-rose) / General
Helleborus niger × H. orientalis = H. x hybridus Voss (Hybrid Lenton-rose) General
Eranthis hyemalis (L.) Salisb. (Winter Aconite) / General
Nigella damascena L. (Love-in-a-mist) / General
Nigella gallica Jord. (Pale Fennel-flower - NBN) - "Bristol, B.E.C., 1925, 736." - Glos. Fl.
Aconitum napellus L. ssp. nepellus (Stace) (A. anglicum Stapf - Kew) (Monk's-hood) /- General
Consolida ajacis (L.) Schur (Larkspur) General
Consolida regalis Gray (Stace, NBN) (Forking Larkspur - Stace, NBN) Delphinium consolida L. (ssp. consolida - Kew, GBIF) (Royal knight's-spur - GBIF) - "Avonmouth Docks, 1926, Roper. As D. consolida, Shirehampton; Avonmouth, B.E.C., 1932, 320." - Glos. Fl. - 2 records according to NBN
Anemone nemorosa L. (Wood Anemone) / Woodland
Anemone ranunculoides L. ssp. ranunculoides (Stace) (Yellow Anemone) Woodland
Anemone apennina L. (Blue Anemone) / Woodland
Anemone blanda Schott & Kotschy (Anemonoides blanda (Schott & Kotschy) Holub - Kew) (Balkan Anemone)
Anemone hupehensis (Lemoine) Lemoine x A. vitifolia Buch.-Ham. ex DC. = A. x hybrida Paxton (Japanese Anemone) / General
Pulsatilla vulgaris Mill. (Pasqueflower) 1740 - Grassland
Clematis vitalba L. (Traveller's-joy) / General
Clematis flammula L. (Virgin's-bower) 1936 General
Clematis tangutica (Maxim.) Korsh. (Orange-peel Clematis - Stace, NBN, Golden Virgin's-bower - GBIF) - 2 records according to NBN
Clematis montana (Himalayan Clematis) / - 5 records according to NBN
Clematis cirrhosa L. var. cirrhosa (Early Virgin's-bower)
Clematis cirrhosa L. var. balearica (Early Virgin's-bower)
Clematis armandii Franch. (Armand Clematis / Evergreen Clematis - Wikipedia) - 1 record according to NBN - record suspicious - says under occurrence remarks "Noted as Geranium Pelargonium x hybridum."
Ranunculus acris L. (ssp. acris - Stace) (Meadow Buttercup) / General
Ranunculus acris L. ssp. friesianus (Jord.) Syme - Brist. Fl. - [very dubious records]
Ranunculus repens L. (Creeping Buttercup) / General
Ranunculus repens (Creeping Buttercup) - double-flowered form - "Westerleigh, 1915, J. W. White."
Ranunculus bulbosus L. (ssp. bulbosus - Stace, Kew, GBIF var. bulbosus - Stace) (Bulbous Buttercup) / General
Ranunculus bulbosus (Bulbous Buttercup) - forma albonaevus (Jord.) - "Miss Roper, in B.E.C. 1924, 706, records as forma albonaevus (Jord.) a plant from Redland (Distr. 5), the leaves of which were white-spotted, though they did not in all other respects agree with Jordan's description. The name is, however, rejected in B.E.C., 1932, 243."
Ranunculus sardous Crantz (Hairy Buttercup) General
Ranunculus sardous Crantz. (Hairy Buttercup) var. parvulus (L.) Lange., (R. parvulus L.). - "Low meadows below Bristol Hotwells, plentiful, 1804, Rev. W. Baker in B.G., Near Bristol, Thwaites."
Ranunculus sardous Crantz. (Hairy Buttercup) var. inermis Babey. - "St Philip's Marsh (E), 1906, J. W. White; cf. B.N.S., 1935, 118."
Ranunculus muricatus L. (Rough-fruited Buttercup) 1897 General
Ranunculus parviflorus L. (Small-flowered Buttercup) General
Ranunculus arvensis L. (Corn Buttercup) General
Ranunculus falcatus (ssp. falcatus or ssp. incurvus? - Kew) (Kew) Ceratocephalus falcatus (L.) Pers. (Bur Buttercup - Pl@ntNet) - "Bristol, Sandwith."
Ranunculus auricomus L. (Goldilocks Buttercup) / Woodland
Ranunculus auricomus L. (Stace, NBN, Kew, GBIF) var. apetalus Wallroth. - a 0-petalled form. - Find out microspecies!
Ranunculus trilobus Desf. (Three-lobe Buttercup - Wikipedia) 1915 General - "has been found at St Philip's Marsh (E), Bristol, along with R. sardous; cf. J. Bot., 1918, 13."
Ranunculus sceleratus L. (Celery-leaved Buttercup) / Wetland
Ranunculus lingua L. (Greater Spearwort) / Wetland
Ranunculus flammula L. (ssp. flammula - Stace, NBN) (Lesser Spearwort) - Wetland
Ranunculus ophioglossifolius Vill. (Adder's-tongue Spearwort) - Wetland
Ranunculus hederaceus L. (Ivy-leaved Crowfoot) Wetland
Ranunculus omiophyllus Ten. (Stace, NBN, Kew, GBIF) Ranunculus Lenormandi Schultz. R. caenosus Bab. (Round-leaved Crowfoot - Stace, NBN, GBIF) - spelt wrong, should be R. lenormandii - Brist. Fl. - 2 records according to NBN
Ranunculus tripartitus DC. (Three-lobed Crowfoot - Stace, NBN) - 1 record from Avonmouth, 1999 and 1 from near Bleadon, 1989 - BRERC DB.
Ranunculus baudotii Godr. (Brackish Water-crowfoot) Wetland
Ranunculus baudotii × R. trichophyllus = R. × segretii (Stace, NBN, Kew, GBIF) Ranunculus Baudotii x R. tricophyllus or Drouetii? - R. P. Murray (Brackish x Thread-leaved Water-crowfoot) - "From near Huntspill Rev. R. P. Murray obtained a possible hybrid between this species and either tricophyllus or Drouetii." - Brist. Fl.
Ranunculus trichophyllus Chaix (Thread-leaved Water-crowfoot) Wetland
Ranunculus trichophyllus x R. aquatilis = R. x lutzii A. Félix (Thread-leaved x Common Water-crowfoot) Wetland
Ranunculus tricophyllus x R. peltatus - "Brimscombe Farm, between Chipping Sodbury and Wickwar, B.E.C., 1915, 310, and J. Bot., 1918, 12."
Ranunculus aquatilis L. (Common Water-crowfoot) / Wetland
Ranunculus peltatus Schrank (Pond Water-crowfoot) Wetland
Ranunculus penicillatus (Dumort.) Bab. (ssp. pseudofluitans (Syme) S.D. Webster - Stace, NBN) R. fluitans Lam. × R. peltatus Schrank = R. × pseudofluitans (Syme) Newbould ex Baker & Foggitt (Kew) (Stream Water-crowfoot) / Wetland
Ranunculus fluitans Lam. (River Water-crowfoot) 1917 Wetland
Ranunculus circinatus Sibth. (Fan-leaved Water-crowfoot) Wetland
Ficaria verna Huds. (Stace & NBN) (ssp. fertilis (Lawalrée ex Laegaard) Stace, ssp. verna - Stace & NBN) Ranunculus ficaria L. (Kew, old name) (Lesser Celandine) / General
Ficaria verna ssp. fertilis
Ficaria verna ssp. verna
Ficaria verna ssp. ficariiformis (Stace, NBN, GBIF) Ranunculus ficaria subsp. ficariiformis Rouy & Foucaud (Kew) var. incumbens F. Schultz. - "rather rare about Bristol, and seems to be confined to moist shaded situations on low ground, where the plants are luxuriant.", "Luxuriant plants on damp shaded hedgebanks develop these bulbous bodies or aerial tubers in the axils of foliage leaves at the end of April. I have specimens from a sheltered lane at Barrow Gurney with stems a foot long carrying at least three leafy nodes, the lower ones with bulbils. The central node on these stems has produced tufts of from four to six opposite long-stalked leaves, and the upper node usually two much smaller ones. Many of the leaves on these plants are conspicuously angular or ivy-shaped. The tubers of its fasciculate root together with those borne upon the stems, any one of which can produce a new plant, render this species quite independent of fruit for its propagation." - var. incumbens is a synonym for what is now subsp. calthifolia which does not occur with us. The description matches ssp. ficariiformis. - Brist. Fl.
Ficaria verna (Stace, NBN, GBIF) abnormal form - "possessing 13 to 18 petals and five sepals. These were collected at Shirehampton in March, 1868, by the Rev. W. W. Spicer." - likely ssp. fertilis or ssp. ficariiformis. - Brist. Fl.
Ficaria verna (Stace, NBN, GBIF) a form in which all the stamens were petaloid - "a very pretty plant - occurred as a weed in House’s Combe Nursery; 1904." - an ornamental escape - likely ssp. ficariiformis - was possibly ‘Collarette’ Dorset Perennials. - Brist. Fl.
Ficaria verna (Stace, NBN, GBIF) Double flowers - "observed at Queen Charlton by Mr. C. Withers." - likely ssp. ficariiformis 'Flore Pleno' Shire Plants. - Brist. Fl.
Ficaria verna ssp. chrysocephala (P.D. Sell) Stace (Lesser Celandine)
Myosurus minimus L. (Mousetail) 1911 General
Adonis annua L. (ssp. annua - Kew, GBIF) (Pheasant's-eye) 1938 General
Adonis aestivalis L. (ssp. aestivalis - Kew, GBIF) (Summer Pheasant's-eye) 1907 General
Aquilegia vulgaris L. (Columbine) / General
Thalictrum aquilegiifolium L. (French Meadow-rue) / General
Thalictrum flavum L. (Common Meadow-rue) / Wetland
Thalictrum minus L. (Lesser Meadow-rue) / General