The cup-shaped flowers shine butter yellow. The buttercup owes its name to them and it is from them that its seeds develop, with the help of which it likes to spread unhindered in wet meadows. What should you know about buttercup seeds?
What do buttercup seeds look like and what should you know about them?
The buttercup seeds are spherical to egg-shaped, a few millimeters in size and brownish when ripe. They are cold germinators and must go through a cold period before they can be sown outdoors. The seeds are also poisonous.
What external characteristics do the buttercup seeds have?
The buttercup seeds are quiteinconspicuous They stand together in so-called achenes and several of them form a nut fruit, similar to strawberries. The seeds are often stuck to the pericarp. The fruit itself is at the end of a long stalk.
The individual buttercup seeds are onlya few millimeters in size, spherical to egg-shaped and usually slightly flattened. There is a small fruit beak at one end. The color of the seeds is initially green. When fully ripe they become brownish.
What should you do before sowing buttercup seeds?
Since the buttercup seeds are cold germinators, they have to go through acold period in order to then be able to germinate. Commercially available seeds have usually already been stratified. If you have harvested the seeds yourself, it is best to either put them in the fridge for a few weeks or sow them outdoors in autumn.
How to sow buttercup seeds correctly?
Already stratified, the buttercup seeds can be sown directly outdoors or in pots. The ideal period for this is betweenMarch and AprilWhen pre-growing at home, use special potting soil (€6.00 on Amazon). The seeds arelightly covered with soiland then watered carefully. At20 °C they germinate within 1 to 2 weeks.
Are buttercup seeds poisonous?
Similar to the other parts of the buttercup, the seeds are alsopoisonous You should therefore not leave the poisonous seeds lying around if there are children or pets in your household. Depending on the dose, consumption of these can lead to gastrointestinal complaints including dizziness, vomiting, headaches and shortness of breath.
When can buttercup seeds be collected?
The seeds usually maturebetween June and September and can then be collected. The ripening of buttercup seeds depends on when the flowers appear. Before you collect the seeds, you should make sure that they are ripe. When ripe, they stick less to the fruit and instead fall down when touched.
Tip
Remove seed heads to prevent uncontrolled spread
Buttercups are a real thorn in the side of many gardeners. They spread completely uncontrollably and quickly if they can form their seeds. Wind and birds help them. If you want to prevent it from spreading, remove the seed heads!
