Ranunculus is also called Buttercup flowers and it’s a large genus of
about 600 species of plants in the Ranunculaceae.
Members of the genus include
the buttercups, spearworts, water crowfoots and the lesser celandine.
They are mostly herbaceous perennials with bright yellow or white
flowers (if white, still with a yellow centre); some are annuals or biennials.
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 larvae of some Lepidoptera
species including Hebrew Character and Small Angle Shades. Some species are
popular ornamental flowers in horticulture, with many cultivars selected for
large and brightly coloured flowers.
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