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[2nd Image]
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| Category: Perennial |
| Family: Ranunculaceae (Buttercups) |
| Origin: Canary Islands (Atlantic Ocean) |
| Flower Color: Yellow |
| Bloomtime: Spring |
| Synonyms: [R. cortusaefolius] |
| Height: 2-4 feet |
| Width: 2-3 feet |
| Exposure: Cool Sun/Light Shade |
| Summer Dry: Yes |
| Irrigation (H2O Info): Low Water Needs |
| Winter Hardiness: 20-25° F |
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Ranunculus cortusifolius (Canary Buttercup) A strong perennial with foliage to 2 feet tall by as wide with attractive large (8 to 12 inches broad!) palmately lobed bright green leaves with scalloped margins. In early to mid-spring appear the branching inflorescences to 3 to 4 feet tall with many 1 1/2 to 2 inch wide bright yellow flowers with 5 shiny petals and a green center. Plant in part sun to light shade and water occasionally, particularly in a dry spring and then allow to go summer dry and dormant. It is cold hardy to around 25 °F. A great plant for lighting up a shady area and with its large display does not need to be kept in the foreground to be noticed. This plant is common in the laurel forest areas of several of the islands in the Canary Island chain where it typically grows in moist areas that dry in the summer, when this plant goes dormant, dying back to succulent rhizomes with new leaves emerging with the winter rains. It is also found on the island of Madeira and in the Azores. The name for the genus is from Latin 'rana' for frog with an diminutive ending meaning "little frog" likely referring to the many species being found near water. The specific epithet given this plant in 1809 by Carl Ludwig von Willdenow references Cortusa, a genus in the Primulaceae, and Latin word 'folium' meaning "leaf" in reference to the leaves resembling those of Cortusa, which was named after J.A. Cortusus, a professor of botany at Padua Italy in the 16th century. The image on this webpage from Curtis’s Botanical Magazine, vol. 78 (1852). The common names Giant Buttercup and Azores Buttercup are also used for this plant. Our thanks to John Bleck who gave us the seed from the planting he established in his Goleta, California garden - John's original source was seed from a plant growing in the garden of bay area horticulturist and arborist Ted Kipping.
The information about Ranunculus cortusifolius that is displayed on this web page is based on research conducted in our nursery's horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We will also include observations made about this plant as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens that we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We also incorporate comments that we receive from others and welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they share cultural information that aids others growing this plant.
Please note that after 46 years in business, San Marcos Growers will be discontinuing nursery operations by the end of 2025 and the property will be developed for affordable housing.
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