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Ranunculaceae

The Ranunculaceae family contains over 2000 species of annual or perennial herbs, vines, and trees that are cosmopolitan but flourish in temperate climates. Important species include buttercups, larkspurs, and monkshoods. Plants have herbaceous stems, alternate or compound leaves, and cymose or solitary inflorescences bearing numerous stamens and carpels. Fruits are achenes or follicles. Many species are used ornamentally or medicinally as they contain alkaloids and glycosides. Some are also used as condiments, while others are weeds or produce poisonous juices.

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RANUNCULACEAE Dr. Asha
 Distribution pattern  It is a large family. It has 43 genera and over 2000 species. Plants are cosmopolitan in distribution but flourish well in temperate climates. Rare in tropics.  Important Species  Ranunculus muricatus. Butter cup  Delphinium ajacis, Larkspur  Ranunculus muricatus (a weed)  Aconitum uncinatum (a wild herb)
MORPHOLOGICAL DESCRIPTION OF FAMILY  Habits: Annual or perennial herbs, vines (Clematis), hydrophyte (Ranunculus aquatilis), tree (Paeonia).  Roots: Tuberous root.  Stem: Herbaceous stem, develops rhizome, erect or climbing, branched, glabrous or hairy.  Leaves: Petiolate.rarely sessile as in Delphinium, Alternate rarely opposite. simple or compound,rarely pinnately compound leaves as in Xanthorrhiza , heterophily exhibited by Ranunculus aquatilis,exstipulate, reticulate venation, unicostate or multicostate.
 Inflorescence: Mostly Cymose. Solitary terminal in Anemone; solitary axillary in Clematis, racemose in Delphinium. In some species of Ranunculus and Clematis flowers may be arranged in panicles.  Flower: Pedicellate , ebracteate. Actinomorphic ( zygomorphic in Delphinium and Aconitum), Regular, spirocyclic in Ranunculus and Delphinium, complete, hermaphrodite, hypogynous .  Perianth ; often not differentiated into calyx and corolla, simple ,petaloid. When differentiated into calyx and corolla, it is as follows;
 Calyx: 5 sepals, polysepalous, imbricate in Ranunculus, spurred in Delphinium and Aconitum, petaloid.  Corolla: 5 petals, polypetalous, imbricate, nectaries of various forms are present at the base, inferior.  Androecium: Stamens are numerous, polyandrous, arranged in spiral way on thalamus , anthers adnate, bithecous, dehiscence by longitudinal slits, extrose, inferior.
 Gynoecium: . Numerous carpels( polycarpillary), one carpel in Delphinium, apocarpous ( syncarpous in Nigella) ovary simple, one to several ovules in each ovary. placentation basal or marginal, ovary superior.  Fruits: An etaerio of achenes or follicles, sometimes capsule as in Nigella.  Seed: Endospermic seed
ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE  Ornamental plants: Most plants are cultivated for their beautiful flowers like Buttercup etc. Many genera are well known as cultivated flowers, such as Aconitum (monkshood), Clematis, Consolida (larkspur), Delphiniu m, Helleborus (Christmas rose), Trollius (globeflower).  Medicinal plants: Some members are used as medicinal plants. Aconitum yields aconite used for rheumatism and as a nerve sedative.  The roots of Adonis aestivalis are used as cardiac stimulant.  Some Ranunculaceae are used as herbal medicines because of their alkaloids and glycosides, such as Hydrastis canadensis (goldenseal), whose root is used as a tonic. More than 30 species are used in homeopathy, including Aconitum napellus, Cimicifuga racemosa, Clematis recta, Clematis virginiana, Hydrastis canadensis, Ranunculus bulbosus, Helleborus niger, Delphinium staphisagria, Pulsatilla nigricans.
ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE  Condiments: Some members are used as condiments. For example, seeds of Nigella It is also used as drugs. The seeds of Nigella sativa are used as a spice in Indian and Middle Eastern cuisine  Weeds: Some members are weeds like R. antriccaus.  Importance of honey: Most members of this family have nectaries. nectaries have great importance for honey bees.  Poisonous species: Some members of this family produce acrid juice. It is highly poisonous.e.g. Helleborus viridis.
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