Family: Buttercup [Ranunculaceae] |
Aconitum |
Actaea |
Adonis |
Anemone |
Aquilegia |
Caltha |
Clematis |
Consolida |
Delphinium |
Eranthis |
Ficaria |
Helleborus |
Hepatica |
Myosurus |
Nigella |
Pulsatilla |
Ranunculus |
Thalictrum |
Trollius |
[CALTHA] Marsh-marigold
|
Marsh Marigold. (Caltha palustris) | Photo: © RWD |
[ERANTHIS] Winter Aconite
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Winter Aconite (Eranthis hyemalis) | Photo: © RWD |
[FICARIA] Lesser Celandine
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Lesser Celandine. (Ficaria verna) | Photo: © RWD |
[RANUNCULUS] Buttercups
The petals of buttercups are glossy on the inside, reflecting their yellow colour under the chin of and to the delight of children. The inside surfaces are coated by special cells which trap two thin layers of air just beneath the surface. These air layers are the means by which the inner surfaces are so glossy. They curved petals reflect and focus both visible and ultra-violet rays from sunlight striking them towards the centre of the flowers where they warm-up the pollen-producing stamens, which increases their growth-rate and enhances their chance of fertilization. The intense yellow colour of the petals of Buttercups is due to the fact that the sunlight has to pass through the pigmented epidermal layer twice, once on the way in and again on the way out. The pigment is one of the yellow carotenoids, a Tetra-Hydroxy Lutein.
The observant may notice that not all species of Ranunculus have equally shiny petals on their insides, some seem more shiny than do others. In particular, |
The two Spleenworts, Lesser Spleenwort and Creeping Spleenwort, hybridize only with themselves and not other members of the Buttercup or Water-Crowfoot species. |
Lesser Spearwort. (Ranunculus flammula) | Photo: © RWD |
Greater Spearwort. (Ranunculus lingua) | Photo: © RWD |
Goldilocks Buttercup (Ranunculus auricomus) | Photo: © RWD |
Small-Flowered Buttercup (Ranunculus parviflorus) | Photo: (CC by 2.0) Geoff Toone |
Bulbous Buttercup (Ranunculus bulbosus) | Photo: © RWD |
Celery-Leaved Buttercup (Ranunculus sceleratus) | Photo: © RWD |
Thread-Leaved Water-Crowfoot (Ranunculus trichphyllus) | Photo: © Mike Baldwin |
Chalk-stream Water-Crowfoot (Ranunculus pseudofluitans) | Photo: © Mike Baldwin |
[TROLLIUS] Globeflower
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Globeflower (Trollius europaeus) | Photo: © RWD |
[ACONITUM] Monk's-hoods
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Monk's-hood. (Aconitum napellus) | Photo: © RWD |
[AQUILEGIA] Columbines
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Columbine (Aquilegia vulgaris) | Photo: © RWD |
[CONSOLIDA] Larkspurs
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Larkspur (Consolida ajacis) | Photo: (CC by 2.0) Ian Howes |
[ANEMONE] Anemones
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Wood Anemone. (Anemone nemerosa) | Photo: © RWD |
Balkan Anemone (Anemone blanda) | Photo: © RWD |
Poppy Anemone (Anemone coronaria) | Photo: © RWD |
[NIGELLA] Love-in-a-Mist
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Love-in-a-Mist (Nigella damascena) | Photo: © RWD |
[HELLEBORUS] Hellebores
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Lenten-Rose (Helleborus orientalis) | Photo: © RWD |
Corsican Hellebore (Helleborus argutifolius) | Photo: © RWD |
Stinking Hellebore (Helleborus foetidus) | Photo: © RWD |
Green Hellebore (Helleborus viridis) | Photo: © John Phandaal Law |
Christmas-Rose (Helleborus niger) | Photo: © RWD |
[THALICTRUM] Meadow-Rues
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Common Meadow-Rue (Thalictrum flavum) | Photo: © RWD |
French Meadow-Rue (Thalictrum aquilegiifolium) | Photo: © Rebecca Stanton |
Lesser Meadow-Rue (Thalictrum minus) | Photo: © RWD |
Alpine Meadow-Rue (Thalictrum alpinum) | Photo: © Dawn Nelson |
[PULSATILLA] Pasqueflower
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Pasque Flower (Pulsatilla vulgaris) | Photo: © Phil And Ann Farrer |
[CLEMATIS] Traveller's-Joys
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Virgin's-Bower (Clematis flammula) | Photo: © RWD |
Traveller's-Joy (Clematis vitalba) | Photo: © RWD |
Orange-Peel Clematis (Clematis tangutica) | Photo: © RWD |
[MYOSURUS] Mousetail
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Mousetail (Myosurus minimus) | Photo: (CC by 2.0) Geoff Toone |
Family: Buttercup [Ranunculaceae] |