Buttercups with extra petals

[Mele]

Hi

I was wandering back to my car today, having been out for a walk taking advantage of the brief sunshine this morning, when I noticed a small buttercup (R. repens) (I'm pretty sure it is repens) by the path. I thought it looked odd, a bit like R.ficaria at first glance - it had 12 petals.

I've read that petal number mutation in R.repens can be used (a paper by Dr John Warren in Annals of Botany 2009) to estimate meadow age. It seems a beguilingly simple meadow ageing tool and very, very neat. I wonder if anyone has used it.

Mel



The link to the full paper by Warren is here

[Dorts]

Mele. It's a facinating theory which I have just put to the test.
One of our fields which has never been ploughed or wooded in recent history, (and is still covered in 'glacial erratics') is part covered by Creeping Buttercup.
I have had a look at as many plant as possible since this was posted and was unable to find a single mutant.

The amount of plants showing extra petals may well depend on the genetic make-up of any particular colony.
I have very occasionally come across 'double' Meadow Buttercups, but never Creeping B. with extra petals.

But an interesting theory nevertheless.
Dorts.

[Mele]

Hi Dorts
Yes - very interesting and if it works utterly and delightfully simple.
Wow that you went out to try it out! Interesting you couldn't find a mutant at all. Not too good for the theory....
Have just mentioned to other half who is going to check some 'ancient' meadowland in Worcs to see if any mutant buttercups (that is if it not been cut yet).
And I am going to keep my eyes peeled in future as I am not aware of seeing any mutant buttercups before either. That is why the paper surprised me. I am going to scout through that paper in more detail tomorrow.
M

[Dorts]

Mele. I have to say that my brief survey was not ideal, in that many plants have now dropped their petals. So I'll leave a follow-up till next year, when I shall be looking at Creeping Buttercup with renewed interest.
Thanks for the link by the way.
Dorts.

[posie]

Hi Mele, in previous years I have seen lots of buttercups with extra petals, I haven't looked this year, it might be too late, but I will certainly look today and report back...I'm talking about in my fields, and surrounding rough patches..

I've also seen 'funny' dandilions here, and greater or broadleaf plantain here with little 'cabbage' heads growing on them..Could be to do with the conditions, but do not know..it would be interesting to find out...............

Posie..(near the south coast)

[Dorts]

Your strange Plantain is Plantago major var. rosularis, or 'Rose Plantain' one of several strange flowers to be found on Plantains. Often grown in gardens as a curiosity plant.
Nothing to do with conditions, just a genetic abnormality.

EDIT.
Just found this great web-page detailing this strange plant.
http://digitalbotanicgarden.blogspot...aginaceae.html
Dorts.

[posie]

Thankyou Dorts...yes, I see, it was the only plantain carrying this 'flower' in amongst lots of plantains on a large area on the edge on farmland..I couldn't see any others like it, and haven't since, so it must have been a random 'genetically' different one....Will one like that necessarily produce the same, or can it's offspring revert to 'normal'?....Posie

[Mele]

Dorts - Phil's Digital Botanic Garden is a marvellous website - all content thoroughly recommended

Posie/Dorts - I am also going to leave buttercup petals to next year as most are over now. I have clearly walked about with my eyes closed up till now - on the buttercup front at least. Interesting bit of research.

Mel

[Dorts]

Originally Posted by posie

Thankyou Dorts...yes, I see, it was the only plantain carrying this 'flower' in amongst lots of plantains on a large area on the edge on farmland..I couldn't see any others like it, and haven't since, so it must have been a random 'genetically' different one....Will one like that necessarily produce the same, or can it's offspring revert to 'normal'?....Posie

This strange plant is actually viviparous. If you carefully break the flower apart when mature, you can pot-up these tiny 'flowers' which are actually small plants.
Such plants will not produce seed, but other nearby normal plants will probably hold this gene, so others could well pop-up from time to time.
Dorts.

[posie]

Originally Posted by Dorts

This strange plant is actually viviparous. If you carefully break the flower apart when mature, you can pot-up these tiny 'flowers' which are actually small plants.
Such plants will not produce seed, but other nearby normal plants will probably hold this gene, so others could well pop-up from time to time.
Dorts.

Thankyou Dorts, interesting info, next time I find a wild one like that, I can show off to my friends, or anybody else that's there, what I know about it..