Ranunculus:

Ranunculus is an important genus in the alpine regions of New Zealand. At least 17 species reach the alpine zone. The name Ranunculus comes from little frog due to some Ranunculus species living in swampy conditions overseas.  Ranunculus are found through out the temperate regions of the world. In NZ there is a wide variety of forms from the largest Ranunculus in the world R. lyallii to very small low growing species such as gracalipes or pachyrhizus. R. lyallii has a special place in my heart as it was the first species of alpine I collected seed from and the first plant I learnt the Latin name for. Both before I was 10 years old I think. Even now I still think of it as the most beautiful flower in the world. Ranunculus buchannii is the other NZ Ranunculus that has white flowers all the rest have yellow. buchananii and lyallii produce some interesting hybrids where they grow together such as on Mt Burns. Several of the other species will also hybridise quite readily. This probably points to them being not too distantly related as with other alpine plant groups in New Zealand.

Fisher 1965 produced a monograph on The alpine Ranunculi which is well worth reading. He studied the Genus in NZ in depth and revised the naming through morphological studies and growing many species in an experimental garden. More recently studies using genetic analysis (Heenan et al 2006) have revised the Genus even further.

There are quite a few species that a worthy of cultivation but they are not the easiest alpines to grow. Probably they are easier if grown in pots or troughs as I found they are not long lived in my garden. Often what seems to happen is they get to hot or dry out then it rains or they are watered and they just rot in a matter of days. The root system may be made vulnerable to pathogens by dry or hot conditions.  I may try growing them in the coolest shadiest spot or in the shade of a tussock and see how that goes. It may be possible to grow them in open ground if some kind of soil-less mix was used but that would require renewing fairly regularly I guess. Otherwise the best chance for success is regular re-potting in quite large pots or troughs as they do have a large root system. Ranunculus serrocophyllus , phachirhizus and gracalipes would be ok in pots while buchananii, crithmifolius, haastii and piliferous would require a trough or similar sized place to grow.