Myosurus minimus is a species of flowering plant in the buttercup family known by the common name tiny mousetail or just mousetail. It is native to much of the Northern Hemisphere, including parts of Europe, Asia, North Africa, and North America. It generally grows in moist habitat types, such as riverbanks and wet meadows.
It is an annual plant forming a small tuft up to about 12 cm (5 in) tall. The leaves are linear and narrow, sometimes threadlike, and up to 6 cm (2.4 in) in length. The inflorescence produces a single flower which has an elongated, cylindrical or cone-shaped receptacle up to 4 cm (1.6 in) long. At the base of the receptacle are curving, spurred sepals, five petals up to 3 mm (0 in) long, and ten stamens.
An annual of seasonally flooded, nutrient-rich soils in areas disturbed by machinery or animals, such as hollows on ploughed land, rutted tracks and gateways in pastures. Its seeds appear to be long-lived. Lowland.
This plant might be poisonous
How to get rid of:
Mousetail can be easily removed from the garden by hoeing. If it gets into the lawn, a broadleaf weed killer containing 2,4, D such as Trimec, can be used to eliminate it.
