Common Buttercup vs Harmless Serotine

Ranunculus acris compared with Eptesicus innoxius

Key Differences

• Common Buttercup is Least Concern while Harmless Serotine is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Buttercup	Harmless Serotine
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Ranunculales (Ranunculales)	Chiroptera (Bats)
Family	Ranunculaceae	Vespertilionidae
Genus	Ranunculus	Eptesicus
Species	Ranunculus acris	Eptesicus innoxius

Conservation Status

Common Buttercup

LC — Least Concern

Harmless Serotine

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Buttercup	Harmless Serotine
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Common Buttercup

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Japan), Europe (10 countries), North America (Canada, United States), and Oceania and the Pacific (Australia, New Zealand).

Harmless Serotine

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Found in Ecuador. Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

Common Buttercup

<em>Ranunculus acris</em>, commonly known as the common buttercup, is a widely distributed plant species found across Asia, Europe, North America, and Oceania. It typically thrives in diverse terrestrial habitats, often colonizing meadows, pastures, roadsides, and disturbed ground with moist, well-drained soils. The species is classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, reflecting its broad range and generally stable populations. Common buttercup belongs to the genus <em>Ranunculus</em> within the family Ranunculaceae. It is a perennial herbaceous plant that typically produces distinctive bright yellow, glossy petals and is commonly associated with temperate grassland ecosystems. The species is known to contain toxic alkaloids, making it generally unpalatable to livestock when fresh, though it loses toxicity upon drying. Biological traits such as average lifespan, plant height, and mass of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature. Its cosmopolitan distribution across multiple continents underscores its ecological versatility and its ability to colonize a wide variety of environments.