Ranunculus
Encyclopedia
Ranunculus is a large genus
of about 600 species
of plant
s in the Ranunculaceae
. Members of the genus include the buttercups, spearworts, water crowfoots and the lesser celandine
.
They are mostly herbaceous
perennial
s with bright yellow or white flower
s (if white, still with a yellow centre); some are annuals
or biennial
s. A few species have orange or red flowers. There are usually five petals, but sometimes six, numerous, or none, as in R. auricomus. The petals are often highly lustrous, especially in yellow species. Buttercups usually flower in the spring, but flowers may be found throughout the summer, especially where the plants are growing as opportunistic colonisers, as in the case of garden weeds.
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. In some species, such as R. aquatilis
, a third, intermediate leaf type occurs.
Ranunculus species are used as food plants by the larva
e of some Lepidoptera
species including Hebrew Character
and Small Angle Shades
. Some species are popular ornamental flowers in horticulture
, with many cultivar
s selected for large and brightly coloured flowers.
for "little frog," from rana "frog" and a diminutive ending. This probably refers to many species being found near water, like frogs.
In the interior of the Pacific Northwest of the United States the buttercup is called "Coyote’s eyes" — ʔiceyéeyenm sílu in Nez Perce
and spilyaynmí áčaš in Sahaptin
. In the legend Coyote was tossing his eyes up in the air and catching them again when Eagle snatched them. Unable to see, Coyote made eyes from the buttercup.
ous when eaten fresh by cattle
, horse
s, and other livestock
, but their acrid taste and the blistering of the mouth caused by their poison 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. Symptoms include bloody diarrhea, excessive salivation, colic
, and severe blistering of the mucous membranes and gastrointestinal tract. When Ranunculus plants are handled, naturally occurring ranunculin
is broken down to form protoanemonin
, which is known to cause contact dermatitis
in humans and care should therefore be exercised in extensive handling of the plants. The toxins are degraded by drying, so hay
containing dried buttercups is safe.
See List of Ranunculus species for a more complete list with native ranges.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of about 600 species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of plant
Plant
Plants are living organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. Precise definitions of the kingdom vary, but as the term is used here, plants include familiar organisms such as trees, flowers, herbs, bushes, grasses, vines, ferns, mosses, and green algae. The group is also called green plants or...
s in the Ranunculaceae
Ranunculaceae
Ranunculaceae are a family of about 1700 species of flowering plants in about 60 genera, distributed worldwide....
. Members of the genus include the buttercups, spearworts, water crowfoots and the lesser celandine
Lesser celandine
Lesser celandine is a low-growing, hairless perennial plant, with fleshy dark green, heart-shaped leaves. The plant is found throughout Europe and west Asia and is now introduced in North America. It prefers bare, damp ground and in the UK it is often a persistent garden weed...
.
They are mostly herbaceous
Herbaceous
A herbaceous plant is a plant that has leaves and stems that die down at the end of the growing season to the soil level. They have no persistent woody stem above ground...
perennial
Perennial plant
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives for more than two years. The term is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter lived annuals and biennials. The term is sometimes misused by commercial gardeners or horticulturalists to describe only herbaceous perennials...
s with bright yellow or white flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s (if white, still with a yellow centre); some are annuals
Annual plant
An annual plant is a plant that usually germinates, flowers, and dies in a year or season. True annuals will only live longer than a year if they are prevented from setting seed...
or biennial
Biennial plant
A biennial plant is a flowering plant that takes two years to complete its biological lifecycle. In the first year the plant grows leaves, stems, and roots , then it enters a period of dormancy over the colder months. Usually the stem remains very short and the leaves are low to the ground, forming...
s. A few species have orange or red flowers. There are usually five petals, but sometimes six, numerous, or none, as in R. auricomus. The petals are often highly lustrous, especially in yellow species. Buttercups usually flower in the spring, but flowers may be found throughout the summer, especially where the plants are growing as opportunistic colonisers, as in the case of garden weeds.
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. In some species, such as R. aquatilis
Ranunculus aquatilis
Ranunculus aquatilis is a plant species of the genus Ranunculus, native throughout most of Europe and western North America, and also northwest Africa....
, a third, intermediate leaf type occurs.
Ranunculus species are used as food plants by the larva
Larva
A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
e of some Lepidoptera
Lepidoptera
Lepidoptera is a large order of insects that includes moths and butterflies . It is one of the most widespread and widely recognizable insect orders in the world, encompassing moths and the three superfamilies of butterflies, skipper butterflies, and moth-butterflies...
species including Hebrew Character
Hebrew Character
Hebrew Character is a moth species, Orthosia gothica, of the family Noctuidae. It is found throughout Europe.The forewings of this species are greyish to rufous brown. Typically these are marked with a black mark shaped like the Hebrew letter Nun נ). This is similar to the markings of the Setaceous...
and Small Angle Shades
Small Angle Shades
The small angle shades is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is distributed throughout Europe.As the common name suggests, this species is closely related to the angle shades , and is considerably smaller , but does not especially resemble that species...
. Some species are popular ornamental flowers in horticulture
Horticulture
Horticulture is the industry and science of plant cultivation including the process of preparing soil for the planting of seeds, tubers, or cuttings. Horticulturists work and conduct research in the disciplines of plant propagation and cultivation, crop production, plant breeding and genetic...
, with many cultivar
Cultivar
A cultivar'Cultivar has two meanings as explained under Formal definition. When used in reference to a taxon, the word does not apply to an individual plant but to all those plants sharing the unique characteristics that define the cultivar. is a plant or group of plants selected for desirable...
s selected for large and brightly coloured flowers.
Naming
The name Ranunculus is Late LatinLate Latin
Late Latin is the scholarly name for the written Latin of Late Antiquity. The English dictionary definition of Late Latin dates this period from the 3rd to the 6th centuries AD extending in Spain to the 7th. This somewhat ambiguously defined period fits between Classical Latin and Medieval Latin...
for "little frog," from rana "frog" and a diminutive ending. This probably refers to many species being found near water, like frogs.
In the interior of the Pacific Northwest of the United States the buttercup is called "Coyote’s eyes" — ʔiceyéeyenm sílu in Nez Perce
Nez Perce language
Nez Perce , also spelled Nez Percé, is a Sahaptian language related to the several dialects of Sahaptin . The Sahaptian sub-family is one of the branches of the Plateau Penutian family...
and spilyaynmí áčaš in Sahaptin
Sahaptin language
Sahaptin , Sħáptənəxw, is a Plateau Penutian language of the Sahaptian branch spoken in a section of the northwestern plateau along the Columbia River and its tributaries in southern Washington, northern Oregon, and southwestern Idaho....
. In the legend Coyote was tossing his eyes up in the air and catching them again when Eagle snatched them. Unable to see, Coyote made eyes from the buttercup.
Toxicity
All Ranunculus species are poisonPoison
In the context of biology, poisons are substances that can cause disturbances to organisms, usually by chemical reaction or other activity on the molecular scale, when a sufficient quantity is absorbed by an organism....
ous when eaten fresh by cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
, horse
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
s, and other livestock
Livestock
Livestock refers to one or more domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to produce commodities such as food, fiber and labor. The term "livestock" as used in this article does not include poultry or farmed fish; however the inclusion of these, especially poultry, within the meaning...
, but their acrid taste and the blistering of the mouth caused by their poison 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. Symptoms include bloody diarrhea, excessive salivation, colic
Horse colic
Colic in horses is defined as abdominal pain, but it is a clinical sign rather than a diagnosis. The term colic can encompass all forms of gastrointestinal conditions which cause pain as well as other causes of abdominal pain not involving the gastrointestinal tract. The most common forms of colic...
, and severe blistering of the mucous membranes and gastrointestinal tract. When Ranunculus plants are handled, naturally occurring ranunculin
Ranunculin
Ranunculin is an instable glucoside found in plants of the buttercup family . On maceration, for example when the plant is wounded, it is enzymatically broken down into glucose and the toxin protoanemonin....
is broken down to form protoanemonin
Protoanemonin
Protoanemonin is a toxin found in all plants of the buttercup family . On maceration, for example when the plant is wounded, it is produced by an enzymatic process from the glucoside ranunculin...
, which is known to cause contact dermatitis
Dermatitis
-Etymology:Dermatitis derives from Greek derma "skin" + -itis "inflammation" and genetic disorder.-Terminology:There are several different types of dermatitis. The different kinds usually have in common an allergic reaction to specific allergens. The term may describe eczema, which is also called...
in humans and care should therefore be exercised in extensive handling of the plants. The toxins are degraded by drying, so hay
Hay
Hay is grass, legumes or other herbaceous plants that have been cut, dried, and stored for use as animal fodder, particularly for grazing livestock such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep. Hay is also fed to pets such as rabbits and guinea pigs...
containing dried buttercups is safe.
Selected species list
- Ranunculus abortivus - Littleleaf buttercup
- Ranunculus aconitifoliusRanunculus aconitifoliusRanunculus aconitifolius is a species of herbaceous perennials of the genus Ranunculus in the family Ranunculaceae.The leaves and stems are slightly hairy...
- Aconite-leaf buttercup - Ranunculus acraeus - a newly described species from OtagoOtagoOtago is a region of New Zealand in the south of the South Island. The region covers an area of approximately making it the country's second largest region. The population of Otago is...
, New Zealand - Ranunculus acris - Meadow buttercup
- Ranunculus alismifoliusRanunculus alismifoliusRanunculus alismifolius is a species of buttercup known by the common name plantainleaf buttercup. It is native to western North America from British Columbia to California to Colorado, where it grows in moist mountain habitat such as meadows, streambanks, and bogs, becoming common to abundant in...
- Plantainleaf buttercup - Ranunculus andersoniiRanunculus andersoniiRanunculus andersonii is a species of buttercup known by the common name Anderson's buttercup. It is native to the western United States, including the Great Basin and surrounding regions, where it grows in sagebrush, woodlands, and other habitat...
- Anderson's buttercup - Ranunculus aquatilisRanunculus aquatilisRanunculus aquatilis is a plant species of the genus Ranunculus, native throughout most of Europe and western North America, and also northwest Africa....
- Common water crowfoot - Ranunculus arvensisRanunculus arvensisRanunculus arvensis is a plant species of the genus Ranunculus. It is native to Europe, but it can be found on other continents as an introduced species and sometimes a weed, including in North America and Australia. It was formerly a common annual arable weed in Britain, but is now rare there...
- Corn buttercup - Ranunculus asiaticusRanunculus asiaticusRanunculus asiaticus is a species of buttercup native to the eastern Mediterranean region in southwestern Asia, southeastern Europe , and northeastern Africa....
- Persian buttercup - Ranunculus auricomusRanunculus auricomusRanunculus auricomus, known as Goldilocks Buttercup, is a perennial species of buttercup native to temperate Eurasia. It is a calcicole typically found in moist woods and at the margins of woods. It is apomictic, and several hundred agamospecies have been recognised. The stem leaves are few and...
- Goldilocks buttercup - Ranunculus biternatus - Antarctic buttercup
- Ranunculus bonariensisRanunculus bonariensisRanunculus bonariensis is a species of buttercup known by the common name Carter's buttercup. There are three varieties. Two are native to Chile and Argentina, and one is found in central California in the United States.-External links:***...
- Carter's buttercup - Ranunculus bulbosus - Bulbous buttercup
- Ranunculus californicus - California buttercup
- Ranunculus canusRanunculus canusRanunculus canus is a species of buttercup known by the common name Sacramento Valley buttercup. It is endemic to California, where it grows in the Central Valley and adjacent mountain foothills, and the Transverse Ranges just south. It grows in grassland and meadows in woodland and forest habitat...
- Sacramento Valley buttercup - Ranunculus cassubicus - Kashubian buttercup
- Ranunculus crassipesRanunculus crassipesRanunculus crassipes is a small flowering plant in the buttercup or crowfoot family Ranunculaceae that is native to the subantarctic region. The specific epithet comes from the Latin and refers to the plant’s thicker and more succulent form compared to the closely related R...
- Subantarctic buttercup - Ranunculus cymbalariaRanunculus cymbalariaRanunculus cymbalaria is a species of buttercup known by the common names alkali buttercup and seaside buttercup. It is native to much of Eurasia and parts of North and South America, where it grows in many types of habitat, especially in moist to wet areas such as marshes, bogs, and moist spring...
- Marsh buttercup - Ranunculus eschscholtziiRanunculus eschscholtziiRanunculus eschscholtzii is a species of buttercup known by the common name Eschscholtz's buttercup. It is native to much of western North America from Arctic northwestern Canada and Alaska to California to New Mexico, where it grows in meadows and talus on high mountain slopes and other open rocky...
- Alpine buttercup - Ranunculus ficaria - Lesser celandine
- Ranunculus flabellarisRanunculus flabellarisfvRanunculus flabellaris is a plant, a species of buttercup known by the common name yellow water buttercup. It is native to much of North America, including the southern half of Canada and most of the United States. It is aquatic or semi-aquatic, growing in water or in or near muddy areas in many...
- Yellow water buttercup - Ranunculus flammulaRanunculus flammulaRanunculus flammula L. is a species of perennial herbaceous plants in the genus Ranunculus , growing in damp places throughout the Boreal Kingdom. It is very closely related to R. reptans L., which is distinguished by prostrate and more slender stems, narrower leaves and smaller flowers and is...
- Lesser spearwort - Ranunculus fluitansRanunculus fluitansRanunculus fluitans ' is a species of buttercup. It is a perennial and bushy in favourable conditions when it can grow to 6m height...
- River water crowfoot - Ranunculus glaberrimusRanunculus glaberrimusRanunculus glaberrimus is a small plant native to interior western North America, from central British Columbia east to southern Saskatchewan, southwest to northeastern California, and southeast to northern New Mexico...
- Sagebrush buttercup - Ranunculus glacialisRanunculus glacialisRanunculus glacialis, the glacier crowfoot or glacier buttercup, is a plant of the family Ranunculaceae.-Distribution:Ranunculus glacialis is an arctic-alpine species, found in the high mountains of southern Europe as well as on the Scandinavian peninsula, Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Jan Mayen,...
- Glacier buttercup - Ranunculus gormaniiRanunculus gormaniiRanunculus gormanii is a species of buttercup known by the common name Gorman's buttercup. It is native to Oregon and northern California, where it grows in the Klamath Mountains and a section of the southern Cascade Range. It can be found in moist areas in mountain forests and meadows...
- Gorman's buttercup - Ranunculus hebecarpusRanunculus hebecarpusRanunculus hebecarpus is a species of buttercup known by the common name delicate buttercup. It is native to western North America, including several of the western United States and Baja California, where it grows in grassland, woodland, and chaparral habitat. It is an annual herb producing a...
- Delicate buttercup - Ranunculus hispidus - Bristly buttercup
- Ranunculus hydrocharoidesRanunculus hydrocharoidesRanunculus hydrocharoides is a species of buttercup known by the common name frogbit buttercup, or frog's bit butterup. It is native to western North America, including the southwestern United States and Mexico. It is also known from Guatemala. It is aquatic or semi-aquatic, growing floating in...
- Frogbit buttercup - Ranunculus jovisRanunculus jovisRanunculus jovis is a species of buttercup known by the common name Utah buttercup. It is native to the mountain west of the United States, from Nevada to Wyoming. It is a petite plant, growing a few centimeters tall on hairless stems with a few deeply divided fingerlike leaves at the base...
- Utah buttercup - Ranunculus kadzusensis Makino - Maehwamarum (see Ganghwa Maehwamarum HabitatGanghwa Maehwamarum HabitatGanghwa Maehwamarum Habitat is located at Choji-ri, Gilsang-myun, Ganghwa-gun, Incheon Metropolitancity, South Korea. Maehwamarum is a plant that grows in a swamp or a lake and it is about 50 cm tall. Until the 1960s, Maehwamarum was very abundant and easily seen...
) - Ranunculus lapponicusRanunculus lapponicusRanunculus lapponicus is distributed all over the arctic, with the exception of northern and eastern Greenland....
- Lapland buttercup - Ranunculus lingua - Greater spearwort
- Ranunculus lobbiiRanunculus lobbiiRanunculus lobbii is a species of buttercup known by the common name Lobb's buttercup, or Lobb's aquatic butterup. It is native to a few areas in western North America, where it is reported from British Columbia, Oregon, and northern California. It is an aquatic plant, growing in various types of...
- Lobb's buttercup - Ranunculus longirostrisRanunculus longirostrisRanunculus longirostris is a plant species of the genus Ranunculus.-External links:*...
- Water buttercup - Ranunculus lyallii - Mount Cook Lily - reputedly the largest buttercup
- Ranunculus macouniiRanunculus macouniiRanunculus macounii is a species of buttercup known by the common name Macoun's buttercup. It is native to much of North America, from Alaska and northwestern Canada to Newfoundland and Labrador, and the contiguous United States except for the northeast and southeastern areas. It grows in many...
- Macoun's buttercup - Ranunculus moseleyi - Moseley's buttercup
- Ranunculus muricatusRanunculus muricatusRanunculus muricatus is a species of buttercup known by the common name spinyfruit buttercup. It is native to Europe, but it can be found in many other places in the world, including parts of Africa, Australia, and the western and eastern United States, as an introduced species and agricultural and...
- Spinyfruit buttercup - Ranunculus occidentalisRanunculus occidentalisRanunculus occidentalis is a species of buttercup found in the western United States and Canada. Its distribution extends from Alaska through British Columbia and Alberta to central California...
- Western buttercup - Ranunculus orthorhynchusRanunculus orthorhynchusRanunculus orthorhynchus is a species of buttercup known by the common name straightbeak buttercup. It is native to western North America from Alaska to California to Utah, where it grows in moist areas in many types of habitat, including meadows and marshes...
- Straightbeak buttercup - Ranunculus papulentusRanunculus papulentusRanunculus papulentus is a buttercup that is endemic to south-eastern Australia.-Description:The Large River Buttercup is an upright perennial herb 10-25 cm in height with underground stolons. The flowering stems are slender and erect, 3-30 cm in height. It has 2-4 flowers with spreading, glossy...
- Large River buttercup - Ranunculus parviflorusRanunculus parviflorusRanunculus parviflorus is a species of buttercup known by the common name smallflower buttercup. It is native to Europe, but it is known on other areas of the world as an introduced species and sometimes a roadside weed, for example, in parts of Australia and the United States. It is an annual herb...
- Smallflower buttercup - Ranunculus peltatusRanunculus peltatusRanunculus peltatus is a plant species in the genus Ranunculus, native to Europe, southwestern Asia and northern Africa.It is a herbaceous annual or perennial plant generally found in slow streams, ponds, or lakes...
- Pond water crowfoot - Ranunculus platanifolius - Large white buttercup
- Ranunculus populagoRanunculus populagoRanunculus populago is a species of buttercup known by the common names popular buttercup and mountain buttercup. It is native to the Pacific Northwest and surrounding areas in the United States, where it grows in wet habitat, such as bogs, streambanks, and moist mountain meadows...
- Popular buttercup - Ranunculus pusillusRanunculus pusillusRanunculus pusillus is a species of flowering plant in the buttercup genus known by the common name low spearwort. It is native to much of the eastern United States from New York to Florida and west to Texas; it is also known in California. It grows in wet habitat, where it is semi-aquatic growing...
- Low spearwort - Ranunculus pygmaeusRanunculus pygmaeusRanunculus pygmaeus is a species of buttercup found throughout the Arctic, as well as in the mountains of Norway and the Rocky Mountains. A few populations also exist in the Eastern Alps and Tatra Mountains.It is a small plant, prostrate-ascending, 1-5 cm tall...
- Pygmy buttercup - Ranunculus recurvatusRanunculus recurvatusRanunculus recurvatus is a plant species of the genus Ranunculus in the family Ranunculaceae native to eastern North America. It is an early-flowering plant of moist deciduous woods from central Quebec south to Florida....
- Hooked Crowfoot - Ranunculus repens - Creeping buttercup
- Ranunculus sardousRanunculus sardousRanunculus sardous is a species of buttercup known by the common name hairy buttercup. It is native to Europe and it can be found in many other areas of the world, including parts of the United States and Australia, as an introduced species and a roadside and lawn weed. It grows in many types of...
- Hairy buttercup, Sardinian buttercup - Ranunculus sceleratusRanunculus sceleratusRanunculus sceleratus is a species of buttercup known by the common names cursed buttercup and celery-leaved buttercup. It is native to North America and Eurasia, where it grows in wet and moist habitat, including ponds and streambanks. It is an annual herb growing up to half a meter tall...
- Celery-leaved buttercup - Ranunculus septentrionalisRanunculus septentrionalisRanunculus septentrionalis is a species of buttercup found in North America from New Brunswick to Manitoba and from Georgia to Kansas. It is now considered to be a subspecies of Ranunculus hispidus....
- Swamp buttercup - Ranunculus sieboldii
- Ranunculus testiculatus - Bur buttercup
- Ranunculus thora - Thora buttercup
- Ranunculus uncinatusRanunculus uncinatusRanunculus uncinatus is a species of buttercup known by the common names woodland buttercup and little buttercup. It is native to western North America from Alaska to California to New Mexico, where it grows in wet, wooded habitat such as forest streambanks. It is a perennial herb producing a...
- Woodland buttercup
See List of Ranunculus species for a more complete list with native ranges.