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Early Buttercup

Ranunculus fascicularis

In the Carolinas and Georgia, found in prairies and grasslands; glades, barrens and outcrops on mafic or serpentine rock; glades, barrens and outcrops on limestone; oak savannas and openings. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition What its natural habitat tells you

51
Strong

Native to Louisiana (estimated). How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 94%

Height
6–12 inches
Light
Full sun
Soil moisture
Dry to somewhat dry
Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Life cycle
Perennial
Bloom
February to May
Fruiting season
March to June

Not yet recorded · Spread · Leaves

Recorded in 33 Louisiana parishes.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 4

Prairies and grasslands

Open, grass-dominated places kept open by fire, grazing or thin soil, from tallgrass prairie to Piedmont prairies.

Glades, barrens and outcrops on mafic or serpentine rock

Open, thin-soil openings, outcrops and cliffs on dark, magnesium- or iron-rich rock such as serpentine, diabase or gabbro.

Glades, barrens and outcrops on limestone

Open, thin-soil openings and rock on limestone, dolomite or other lime-rich rock, including cedar glades.

Oak savannas and openings

Open-grown oaks over grass and wildflowers, kept open by fire or thin soil; not the treeless prairies or the Coastal Plain's pine savannas.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Louisiana. Shared habitat, not food. 50 animals.

All wildlife of Louisiana

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

3CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including LA

Genus host records with ranges including LA · Ranunculus

  • Herpetogramma pertextalisBold-Feathered Grass Moth
  • Papaipema nebrisStalk Borer
  • Sparganothis sulfureanaSparganothis Fruitworm Moth, Sulfur Leafroller, False Yellow-Head
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
20BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Ranunculus

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
13BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Ranunculus

  • Anthus rubescensAmerican Pipit
  • Bonasa umbellusRuffed Grouse
  • Calcarius lapponicusLapland Longspur
  • Callipepla californicaCalifornia Quail
  • Centrocercus urophasianusGreater Sage-Grouse
  • Cygnus buccinatorTrumpeter Swan
  • Dendrocygna bicolorFulvous Whistling-Duck
  • Fulica americanaAmerican Coot
  • Lagopus leucuraWhite-tailed Ptarmigan
  • Lagopus mutaRock Ptarmigan
Show all 13
  • Mareca americanaAmerican Wigeon
  • Meleagris gallopavoWild Turkey
  • Plectrophenax nivalisSnow Bunting
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

Beetles 1
  • Asclera ruficollis

Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA

Flies 6
  • Melanostoma mellinum
  • Pipiza femoralis
  • Sphaerophoria cylindrica
  • Syrphus americanus
  • Syrphus arcuatus
  • Xylota fraudulosa

Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA

Adult butterflies / moths 1
  • Thanaos juvenalis

Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA

No records yet · Ants · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Ranunculaceae
Flower color
Yellow
Fruit begins
March
Fruit ends
June

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Thick Root Butter Cup

Conservation status

Louisiana rankSNR
Global rankG5
LA statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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How to check your spot

Growing cautions

For planning only; these do not change the score or Fit.

Sources