Ranunculus
From Freepedia
This article is about the flower. For other definitions, see Buttercup (disambiguation).
| Ranunculus | ||||||||||||
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| Image:Creeping butercup close 800.jpg Creeping buttercup (Ranunculus repens) | ||||||||||||
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over 400; see text |
Image:Buttercup sweden 20050612 01.jpg Image:Buttercups (wild)-KayEss-1.jpeg
Ranunculus is a large genus of about 400 species of plants in the Ranunculaceae. It includes the buttercups, spearworts, water crowfoots and the lesser celandine (but not the greater celandine of the poppy family Papaveraceae).
They are mostly herbaceous perennials with bright yellow or white flowers (if white, still with a yellow centre); some are annuals or biennials, and a few have orange or red flowers.
The Water crowfoots (Ranunculus subgenus Batrachium), which grow in still or running water, are sometimes treated in a separate genus Batrachium. They have two different leaf types, thread-like leaves underwater and broader floating leaves. Buttercups usually flower in April or May.
All Ranunculus species are poisonous when eaten fresh by cattle, horses, and other livestock, but their acrid taste means they are usually left uneaten. Poisoning can occur where buttercups are abundant in overgrazed fields where little other edible plant growth is left, and the animals eat them out of desperation. The poisons are degraded by drying, so hay containing dried buttercups is safe.
Some species are popular ornamental flowers in horticulture, with many cultivars selected for large and brightly coloured flowers.
An old superstition says that if you hold a buttercup under your face, and yellow light is reflected on your face, it means that you like butter.
Partial species list
- Ranunculus acris - Meadow buttercup
- Ranunculus aquatilis - Common water crowfoot
- Ranunculus arvensis - Corn buttercup
- Ranunculus asiaticus - Persian buttercup
- Ranunculus auricomus - Goldilocks buttercup
- Ranunculus bulbosus - Bulbous buttercup
- Ranunculus ficaria - Lesser celandine
- Ranunculus flamula - Lesser spearwort
- Ranunculus fluitans - River water crowfoot
- Ranunculus glacialis - Glacier buttercup
- Ranunculus lapponicus - Lapland Buttercup
- Ranunculus lingua - Greater spearwort
- Ranunculus peltatus - Pond water crowfoot
- Ranunculus platanifolius - Large white buttercup
- Ranunculus pygmaeus - Pygmy Buttercup
- Ranunculus sceleratus - Celery-leaved buttercup
- Ranunculus repens - Creeping buttercup
and many more
