General Impact
The University of Maine Cooperative Extension (2004) states that, "R. ficaria is primarily a threat to native plants and native plant diversity in lowland woods and on flood plains. It out competes native plants through its extremely early seasonal growth and the development of a dense network of roots and tubers in the soil. Over time it forms extensive carpets in natural areas, crowding out native plants, especially native ephemeral (short-lived) wildflowers. The survival strategy of native ephemeral wildflowers is to grow and flower early in the spring before leaf-out of the forest canopy. By doing so, these plants receive needed sunlight and can take advantage of nutrients released from decaying material over the winter. R. ficaria uses the same strategy, but starts growing earlier in the season and is far more aggressive in its use of space. Unfortunately, R. ficaria is still available commercially for garden plantings."
No Impact information recorded for Ranunculus ficaria
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