Ranunculaceae
| Ranunculaceae Temporal range: 145–0 Ma Early Cretaceous–Recent |
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| Ranunculus auricomus | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| Order: | Ranunculales |
| Family: |
Ranunculaceae Juss. |
| Type genus | |
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Ranunculus L. |
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| Subfamilies | |
Ranunculaceae (buttercup or crowfoot family; Latin rānunculus "little frog", from rāna "frog") is a family of over 2,000 known species of flowering plants in 43 genera, distributed worldwide.
The largest genera are Ranunculus (600 species), Delphinium (365), Thalictrum (330), Clematis (325), and Aconitum (300).
Ranunculaceae are mostly herbaceous annuals or perennials, but some woody climbers (such as Clematis) or shrubs (e.g. Xanthorhiza).
Most members of the family have bisexual flowers which can be showy or inconspicuous, and can be radially or bilaterally symmetrical. The sepals and petals are generally free (unfused) and typically number four or five. In many species, the sepals are colorful and appear petal-like. In these species, the petals can be inconspicuous or absent. The stems are unarmed. The leaves are variable. Most species have both basal and cauline (stem) leaves, which are usually compound or lobed but can be simple. They are typically alternate, or occasionally opposite or even whorled. Many species, especially the perennials form rhizomes that develop new roots each year.
Flowers may be solitary, but are frequently found aggregated in cymes, panicles, or spikes.
The fruit is most commonly an achene (e.g. Ranunculus, Clematis) or a follicle (e.g. Helleborus, Nigella).
Ranunculaceae contain protoanemonin, which is toxic to humans and animals. Other poisonous or toxic compounds, alkaloids and glycosides, are also common.
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Wikipedia