Flowers of the Alps

by Allan Hartley

Glacier Crowfoot

Ranunculus glacialis
Alpen Hahnfuß

Also known as the Alpine crowfoot and glacier buttercup, this pretty white flower is a record breaker. It flowers in Svalbad and in Greenland only 1300km from the North Pole, and also up to a height of over 4000m in the Alps. It springs up in places where melted snow has saturated the ground and very soon after the snow melts and it is able to ripen its seeds before the short summer ends. The five white petals surround the yellow stamen like an umbrella and there may be two flowers at the top of the stem which is only 5 – 20cm long, the flowers turning purple after pollination. The flowers are also much longer than the brown, hairy sepals. It cannot tolerate lower, warmer habitats and is therefore threatened by global warming. It is a poisonous plant, protected in all areas.

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