Ranunculus asiaticus Brushmark Seti® - Persian Buttercup

Ranunculus asiaticus Brushmark Seti® is a rather unusual Persian buttercup. This variety has captivating, large double flowers featuring wavy petals, lightly splashed and brushed with purplish-violet on a white background. Its precious style, refined colouring, and long stems make it ideal for cut flower use. This not very hardy, perennial plant with tuberous claws should be grown as a spring annual or like a gladiolus.

This variety belongs to the Ranunculaceae family. The species Ranunculus asiaticus is commonly known as the Persian buttercup or Asian buttercup. In the wild, it grows in the eastern Mediterranean basin and towards Western Asia, from the islands of the southern Aegean Sea to western and southwestern Iran, including notably Crete, Greece, Cyprus, Turkey, the Levant, Iraq, Iran, Sinai, and parts of North Africa. It is a geophytic plant with claw-shaped tubers, often cultivated as an annual or as a bulb to be lifted in autumn in regions with harsh winters. It is well-suited to the Mediterranean climate.

Brushmark Seti® is a selection by the Japanese breeder Aya Engei, intended particularly for cut flowers. This line of buttercups is valued for its earliness, long stems, large flowers, and less leafy growth, often considered healthier in cultivation. Compared to classic forms, Brushmark Seti offers a much fuller, more ample flower with a more intricate form and a bicolour "brushstroke" style. The plant develops an upright, compact clump within a few weeks. In the garden, it reaches 50 to 60 cm in height when in flower with a spread of 15 to 25 cm. The basal leaves are divided into bright green lobes with a slightly matte appearance. The foliage is deciduous: it disappears after flowering when the plant enters dormancy. The flower stems bear large, very double flowers, nicely rounded upon opening, then broader, with finely ruffled petals. Their diameter reaches 10-12 cm, up to 15 cm in cultivation for floristry. The petals show a white background washed with violet or purple at the edges. Flowering occurs in spring, from March to May, depending on the planting date and the climate.
The Asian buttercup tolerates around -4/-5 °C in brief spells in very well-drained soil.

This beautiful Brushmark Seti® variety is as good for picking as it is for admiring in the garden. Plant it in small groups in a sheltered border, a well-tended flower bed, or a large container, within easy reach, to easily create bouquets. Pair it, for example, with tulip ‘Apricot Delight’, brushed with pale pink, candy pink, and peach, fringed tulip 'Purple Crystal' for its wine colour, intense blue anemone ‘Mr Fokker’, and daffodil ‘Salomé’, which brightens the composition with its cream and salmon tones.