Ranunculus asiaticus Crown Bastille® - Persian buttercup

Ranunculus asiaticus Crown Bastille® is an Asiatic buttercup, which is rare for its so-called crowned flower, whose red to coppery orange corolla is topped with a small green tuft, divided and crumpled. This uncommon flower gives it a very special presence in the garden as well as in cut flower arrangements. Choose it to enliven spring borders and containers on the patio or balcony.

This variety belongs to the family of Ranunculaceae. The species Ranunculus asiaticus, called Asian buttercup or florist's buttercup, is a tuberous perennial with summer dormancy. It is native to the eastern Mediterranean basin and western Asia. It is found in regions with a Mediterranean climate, from the Aegean islands and Crete to Turkey, the Levant, Egypt, Libya, Iraq, and western Iran. It grows in open, sunny habitats, often in light, stony or sandy soils, with a marked dry period in summer.

Crown Bastille® is a selection from the Japanese breeder Aya Engei. It belongs to the commercial line Romance™, distributed by Green Works, which brings together ranunculus with remarkable flowers and excellent quality flower stems. The plant quickly forms an upright clump, 40 to 50 cm tall in flower. In a pot, it will be slightly more compact. Its tuberous roots, shaped like claws, serve as storage organs. The deciduous foliage, arranged in a basal rosette, is also present on the stems; it is bright to medium green and finely divided, sometimes compared to parsley. The rosette leaves are rounded and lobed; those on the stems are more dissected. Flowering occurs from March to July, depending on the climate and planting date. The flowers are medium to large in this selection, but their shape matters more than their diameter. The base of the corolla has deep red to reddish-orange petals, while the top extends into a very dense green tuft. The whole resembles a fringed double flower with two "storeys". As with other horticultural buttercups, the flowers last well in a vase. Asian buttercup Crown Bastille® blooms in spring, then its vegetation dries and disappears in summer; its rhizomes withstand about -5 °C as a minimum in very well-drained soil.
The Asian buttercup has been one of the most cultivated florist's plants for centuries. It has been cultivated and produced in the Mediterranean basin and in Anjou for a long time, where the rhizomes have long been the subject of true horticultural know-how.

Grow the Asian buttercup in beds, borders and even in pots on a patio. The variety Crown Bastille® deserves a choice spot, as its flower invites close inspection. Always plant it in light, fertile and very well-drained soil. In heavy ground, it is better to grow it in a container or on a mound. It can be grouped in floral displays with the double early tulip ‘Copper Image’ and butterfly daffodil ‘Apricot Whirl’. In a dry border, surround it with Corsican spurge Euphorbia myrsinites with its glaucous foliage. To lighten the overall effect a little later in the season, sow some Orlaya grandiflora nearby.
By lifting the tubers in autumn, before frosts, you can grow this plant like a gladiolus.