When you’re looking for beautiful blooms, it’s easy to turn to the beloved peony, however, you could choose a ranunculus—a smaller, more compact plant that gives you the full blooms you love and doesn't attract ants.
Ranunculus or buttercup flowers are cool-season perennial tubers characterized by their layers of paper-thin petals. Because of their dainty appeal, these blooms also frequent container gardens, beds and borders, as well as cutting gardens. Here’s what you need to know about those gorgeous bulbs in your garden.
1. Ranunculus are Common Wedding Flowers
The soft and delicate petals are romantic and full, making them the ideal flowers to fill in a bridal bouquet. According to a study, each Ranunculus repens var. pleniflorus flower has between 100 and 130 petals—now that's a big bloom! They’re also all-star cut flowers—they last up to seven days in a vase without any plant food or special care. Ranunculus blooms come in both pastels and brights so they will fit in any wedding's color palette.
2. Its Name Means 'Little Frog'
The name of this flower is a combination of two Latin words. Rana means ‘frog’ and unculus means ‘little.’ These bulbs were first found blooming in Southwestern Asia. It is believed that its name came from where it grew naturally—along streams in the spring with the little frogs.
3. Send Ranunculus to Show Your Admiration
These blooms are a symbol of charm and attractiveness, which was especially prevalent in the Victorian era—they would send ranunculus to those they admired. Ranunculus are a great choice for Mother’s Day, anniversaries, or a day when you need a little self-love.
4. Buttercups Reflect UV Light
Many of us played the game as kids where you held a buttercup under your chin to see if it made your chin glow yellow—if it did, that meant you liked butter. Even though the result has nothing to do with your butter preferences, the color under your chin isn’t just an optical illusion—the petals do actually glow. The petals have mirror flat cells that bounce back light. They will reflect UV light which helps attract bees and looks vibrantly yellow from any angle.
5. Botanical Uses and Meanings of Ranunculus
This lovely bloom can actually be harmful by way of gastric upset to farm animals. Most animals graze around it but use caution around young children or baby animals. The Native Americans are known to use to ranunculus roots to treat skin ailments such as boils and warts. If you suffer from eczema, a poultice of Buttercup could be quite soothing. A buttercup essential oil aromatherapy treatment can bring you that sweet, sweet vibe of peace and joy. If you are starting to feel the effects of muscle strain and stiffness simply because you slept ‘wrong.’ Luckily, Buttercup is known to ease the pains and strains of muscle tension and body aches.
6. Beauty That Lasts
The Buttercup is one of those flowers that just keep on going! The ranunculus will keep its vibrancy long after it has been cut from the garden. Once this bloom has been cut, it will last up to 7 days without any special food or care instructions.
