Tall Buttercup For uninfested areas, remove encroaching plants as soon as possible to avoid future problems. Control Methods In areas where creeping buttercup is established and Also Wanted: widespread, removal is generally only recommended as part of a larger effort to restore pastures or other landscapes. ¾ Found in pastures, farmlands, natural wetlands as well as city gardens, lawns and along woodland trails Questions? King County Noxious Weed Control ¾ Grows especially well in wet, poorly drained areas Program Line: 20 and is tolerant of compacted soils and grazing What You Can Do While there is no legal requirement for controlling creeping buttercup in King County, the King County Noxious Weed Control Board recognizes this plant as a weed of concern and recommends prevention of spread into uninfested areas and control in natural areas and pastures where feasible. ¾ Stolon growth begins in spring and peaks in late summer ¾ Usually flowers from March to August with seed production about two weeks after flowering ¾ Each plant produces 20 to 150 seeds which may remain viable in the soil for 20 years and up to 80 if not disturbed ¾ New plants may persist over winter as small rosettes ¾ Prefers moist conditions Impacts ¾ Fresh plants are toxic to grazing animals ¾ Extremely aggressive growth one plant can spread over a 40 square foot area in one year ¾ Depletes potassium in the soil which has a detrimental effect on surrounding plants ¾ Invades wet, grassy areas, outcompeting native plants ¾ Aggressive in crop fields and ornamental landscapes Buttercup is toxic to grazing livestock and Distribution should be removed from pastures.

Weed of Concern: Control Recommended Identification Tips ¾ Low-growing perennial with creeping stolons (horizontal stems) ¾ Dark green leaves with pale patches divided into three toothed leaflets ¾ Somewhat hairy leaves and stems ¾ Can grow to one foot tall but often shorter in mowed areas ¾ Flowers are bright yellow and usually have 5, but up to 10, glossy petals Biology Originally from Europe, creeping buttercup is ¾ Reproduces by seed and vegetatively by long, now found throughout North America from branching stolons that root at the nodes farms to city gardens and lawns to wetlands. KING COUNTY NOXIOUS WEED CONTROL PROGRAM WEED ALERTĬreeping Buttercup Ranunculus repens Buttercup Family

Creeping buttercup runners