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.

1. RANUNCULACEAE
Dr. Asha

2.  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)

3. 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.

4.  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;

5.  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.

6.  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

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. Thanks