Urocystis ranunculi
Urocystis ranunculi is a smut fungus which affects buttercups. Yellowish swellings or pustules occur on leaves, petioles, stems, etc., eventually erupting to release a mass of dark spore-balls. Even when immature the dark mass can be seen inside the unopened blisters when held up to the light. The spore-balls have a central brown spore surrounded by a few hyaline sterile cells.
Entyloma microsporum causes yellowish pustules on buttercup leaves, but does not have black sooty spore-balls.
Photograph the smut and the host, ensure your photos show the dark sooty spore mass. Note the host-plant in your comments.
Buttercups
Leicestershire & Rutland Map
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Yellow squares = NBN records (all known data)
Coloured circles = NatureSpot records: 2025+ | 2020-2024 | pre-2020
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Species profile
- Species group:
- fungus
- Kingdom:
- Fungi
- Order:
- Urocystidales
- Family:
- Urocystidaceae
- Records on NatureSpot:
- 4
- First record:
- 29/08/2014 (Calow, Graham)
- Last record:
- 06/10/2024 (Graves, Hazel)
Total records by month
% of records within its species group
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