Bulbous Buttercup - Ranunculus bulbosus

Short to medium hairy plant with a swollen corm-like base. The flowers are golden yellow 20 to 30 mm on furrowed stems, sepals down-turned.

Often confused with R repens and R acris - all are common in grassland

Basal leaves - a short section of stalk separates final leaf lobe from two basal side-lobes.  Sepals turn downwards ('reflexed') alongside the flower stalk; this distinguishes it from R repens

Photos of basal leaves and sepals (a side-on view of flower, not 'full face') 

Grassy habitats on well drained calcareous or slightly acid soils. Meadows, pastures, road verges, etc.

March to July.

Perennial.

Very common throughout Britain.

Very common also in Leicestershire and Rutland. In the 1979 Flora survey of Leicestershire it was found in 482 of the 617 tetrads.  It is listed as Native and Locally Abundant in the current Checklist (Jeeves, 2011)