Water Wise Plants

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California Buttercup

Perennial

6 in (15cm) wide x 0.6 - 2.3 ft (0.18 - 0.7 m) tall

Moderate: water weekly until the root ball is wet

Full to half sun

Yellow

The California buttercup (Ranunculus californicus), a perennial herb of the Ranunculaceae family, brightens much of California (except the deserts) with 3/4 inch, remarkably glossy, deep yellow flowers, each with 9 to 17 petals. For the garden, plant this buttercup in front of the border and in meadows with native annuals and bulbs, blue-eyed grass, shooting stars, woolly blue-curls, and other natives that require little, if any, supplemental summer irrigation. Buttercups are not only worthy cut flowers but also a good source of nutrition. Toast briefly in a frying pan to accompany porridge or grind and add to baked goods. Easy to grow and appealing native.