'Little frog' flower grows in damp places

Doesn't look much like a frog, does it?

This is but one of nearly 300 related species belonging to the same genus, a genus that is somewhat related (in the same plant family, anyway) to a variety of spring-blooming flowers, including aconitum and Lenten rose. Most of the species in this genus often grow in wet places, near ponds, creeks, that sort of thing, and an old name for these plants ended up being translated as "little frog." That's a charming story, but despite the fact that these species like froggy and tadpole-ish places, they don't really have any amphibian connections.

Gorgeous yellow petals characterize this species. There are five petals, and they are quite glossy, almost as though they were polished. Each of the petals has a peculiar little gland down at the base on the upper surface, and pollinating insects like to come up and have a taste of nectar produced there. Above the petals will be a series of several dozen stamens, each on a slender filament. Below the flower will be five short, green sepals. As the flower ages, the sepals will bend backward, 90 degrees (the word for this is "retrorse"), and the shiny petals will fall off, along with the now-dried (and useless) stamens. This allows room for the pistils to develop after pollination. A single flower will bear a dozen or so little green pistils, each with a broadened ovary. The ovary of each pistil contains a single seed. By the time the ovaries are ripened and begin to fall away from the old flower, each one will be sort of oval and slightly roughened or bumpy, and there will be a tiny tooth-like prong near the top, a bit off-center. (This little prong is what's left of the pistil's short style.)

The plants are annuals, or perhaps more commonly perennials, depending upon their settings. The stems are softly hairy, and the deep green leaves are divided and cut up into plenty of segments. This little plant is showing off right now, forming bright yellow patches in fields and damp meadows and along canals and bottomlands. They often occur in large patches with thousands of plants, making them easily visible, sometimes, from overpasses. (Note that some of their relatives, also in this genus, will grow this way.) The mystery plant is at home in the Eastern United States from lower New England south to much of Florida and then eastern Texas. It can be a weed, though, and in some settings is a real pest. This plant is native to Europe, where it is relatively widespread.

If you do see this thing blooming in or near your neighborhood, don't try chewing on it. The plants are probably a bit toxic, and they will have a bitter taste. It is said that chewing on this species will be awfully untasty experience and that your face will pucker up. You'll make a real face. A real sardonic face. You might look like a frog ...

... ribbit.

John Nelson is the curator of the Herbarium in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of South Carolina. As a public service, the Herbarium offers free plant identifications. For more information, visit www.herbarium.org or call (803) 777-8196.

(Answer: "Hairy buttercup," Ranunculus sardous)

Photo by Linda Lee