The Segregates of Meadow Buttercup
Meadow Buttercup Ranunculus acris is a very variable species. 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 by E. Nelmes in the 1940s from Rockhampton (Riddelsdell, 1948). Crazy and Gold Knops / Nobs are a couple of local Gloucestershire names also used for Creeping and Bulbous Buttercup.
The following four were grouped in having the Rootstock short and perpendicular or oblique - var. boraeanus had the "Root very short, lobes of leaves divided into numerous, long, linear, over-lapping segments. The lowest joint or internode of the stem is generally very long and nearly or quite glabrous; and the petioles are long and erect;" var. tomophyllus with the "Root rather long, often oblique, leaves much cut but segments shorter and scarcely overlapping; stem and petioles densely hairy. Lowest joint of stem generally short; petioles short and spreading;" var. rectus with the "Root short, thick, irregular, or thinner and straight; lobes of leaves nearly simple, not touching at their margins; stem typically with adpressed hairs, but these in Bristol specimens are often spreading;" var. pumilus which was dwarf and few-flowered "This is placed by R. & F., and by F. Townsend as a form under rectus; but while some examples from the Mineries and Shipham on Mendip resemble that variety, others favour tomophyllus in the shape of their leaves; and all are nearer to the latter in the densely hairy stem and petioles." And the latter two in having the rootstock long and horizontal - var. stevenii with "Lobes of leaves generally broad and nearly simple, the lateral not overlapping the petiole;" and var. friesianus with "Lobes of leaves very broad, overlapping each other and reaching or overlapping the petiole; beak of carpel short;" and var. vulgatus differing from the last in "the beak of the carpels being longer and uncinate;" and var. nemorivagus - a synonym of var. friesianus (Jordan himself having changed the name) but considered by some to be different. Var. friesianus having the "margins of lobes overlapping but leaving a sinus at the base; and nemorivagus with lobes completely overlapping so as to leave no sinus."