Ranunculus multifidus Forssk.

Tufted perennial, mostly 100-500 but much dwarfed in exposed situations and up to 1000 mm in protected places, developing new shoots at base; flowering stems erect or sprawling, simple or well-branched in upper parts, densely or sparsely patent-or adpressed-hirsute or-pilose below with hairs to 2 mm long and adpressed-pubescent above, rarely glabrescent or subglabrous. Roots several to many, thong-like. Leaves basal and cauline, petioles of basal leaves 20-150(-300) mm long with stipules adnate and sheathing for 5-30(-40) mm, usually pilose, sometimes subglabrous, blade ovate in outline, ternate or ternately pinnate to bipinnatisect (rarely tripinnatisect) with 1 or 2 lateral pairs of leaflets, (20-)30-90(-130) x (15-)20-70(-100) mm, ultimate segments coarsely and irregularly toothed, with callus at tip of each serration, usually adpressed-pilose on both surfaces, rarely glabrescent, cauline leaves progressively smaller, ultimately subsessile and lanceolate; juvenile leaves suborbicular and lobed to ternate. Flowers in simple or compound cymes, 10-18 mm diam. Sepals 5, strongly reflexed, ovate, cucullate, 2.5-5.0 mm long, hispid beneath, yellowish. Petals 5, obovate, 4-9 x 3-7 mm, varnished bright yellow above, dull and paler beneath, narrowed into short claw in basal ±1 mm, obtuse, veins branched, nectary pocket-like. Stamens ±30 in 2 or 3 series, filaments 1-3 mm long, anthers ±1.5 mm long. Carpels 30-50(-70), glabrous. Achenes in an ovoid head, broadly obovoid or subcircular, 2.0-2.5 mm diam., usually verrucose or tuberculate but sometimes ± smooth, margin keeled and grooved, shortly beaked, beak acute, ±0.5-0.8 mm long; receptacle 2-5 mm long, pubescent.

A tropical plant. It grows in damp places. It grows in wet grassland and along river banks. In Zimbabwe it grows up to 2,000 m above sea level.

The leaves are occasionally cooked and eaten. The roots are eaten raw by boys.