Family ranunculaceae application. Buttercup family - Ranunculaceae

The buttercup family is a huge group of plants, subdivided into 50 genera and more than 2,000 species. The vast majority of them are perennial herbs; one- or two-year-old herbaceous plants and subshrubs are less common. Representatives of the buttercup family grow in all corners of the globe, but they are most common in areas with a temperate, cool or damp climate, although there are species that live in semi-desert and desert regions.

General characteristics of the buttercup family

Most of the ranunculus are poisonous plants that are unsuitable for animals to eat. Due to the content of various alkaloids, which are poisons, they are widely used in medicine. Some species have been used by humans as medicinal plants since antiquity. In addition to alkaloids, plants of the ranunculus family contain glycosides of the cardiac group, so they are used to produce drugs for the treatment of diseases of the cardiovascular system.

Currently, various plant species of this family are being studied for fungicidal properties. During the experiments, their ability to have a destructive effect on pathogenic fungi that cause cancer and powdery mildew in some fruit trees was revealed. Thus, scientists have discovered another promising area for the use of plants of the ranunculus family.

But that's not all: some species are fat-oil plants with drying and semi-drying liquid oils, which makes it possible to use them as raw materials for the production of technical oils.

It is worth noting the high decorative properties of flowers of the ranunculus family, so these plants are widely used in the field of landscape design.

Rhizome

In Ranunculaceae, rhizomes with sympodial branching predominate, but occasionally they are also found with a monopodial structure. The sympodial rhizome is formed in the presence of shortened internodes in the newly formed underground shoots. In the case of their elongation, a stolon occurs.

Underground formations in the form of a rhizome or stolon are constant phenomena for the grass of the ranunculus family, but there are exceptions.

leaf structure

Most species of ranunculus have alternate leaves. Less common are specimens with opposite, simple, separate, lobed, palmately and pinnately dissected leaves. Some plants have whole leaves without stipules or with stipules of a rudimentary type. The basal leaves usually have wide sheaths and long petioles, while the stem leaves have short petioles and blades that pass into the sheaths.

The leaves of most plants of the buttercup family have a heart-shaped base, a palmately dissected shape into lobes with rough incisions or teeth. Small leaves are most often rounded, and large ones are reniform.

In whole or slightly dissected leaves, the edges are serrated or crenate. Narrow sheets have a rounded or wedge-shaped base, and serrations or separation may occasionally occur in the upper part of the leaf plate.

Flowers of plants of the buttercup family

Flowers are located in primrose inflorescences. They can form brushes or panicles, less often solitary. Flowers are bisexual and unisexual, spiral, spirocyclic or cyclic, actinomorphic or zygomorphic, with a well-developed receptacle.

The color of the flowers is quite diverse: they can be white, blue, bright red, yellow, etc. The perianth is simple or double, represented only by a calyx. It often consists of 5-6 sepals, in most clematis - from 4, in the chistyak - from 3-2. The number of sepals may vary. After flowering, the sepals fall off.

Petals in herbaceous plants of the buttercup family are modified stamens, since they also have only one leaf trace. The stamens are numerous with a spiral arrangement. Anthers extrose with longitudinal opening. Pollen grains are diverse: tricoloured with reticulate exine, multifurrowed or multiporous.

In the course of evolution, the number of carpels gradually decreases and becomes constant. Some species retain a large number of carpels, but the size of the fruitlets has decreased, and the receptacle has increased. Each carpel has many ovules, rarely 2 or 1. Multiple ovules are located in two rows along the ventral suture, single ones are attached to its base. They are anatropic, hemitropic, bitegmal or unitegmal.

Pollination by nectar

Another distinctive characteristic of the buttercup family is that most species are pollinated by insects that are attracted by nectar or pollen (in plants that do not have nectaries).

Nectaries are distinguished by a variety of forms and variants of origin. Usually nectar secrete petals and staminodes. The most common form of nectary is a fossa in the petal base, sometimes covered with scales. The bottom of the fossa is covered with nectar-bearing tissue produced by epidermal cells.

Another option for the origin of the nectary is staminodes, but sometimes fertile stamens can also produce it. The nectar-bearing tissue is located below the middle of the staminode and has an epidermis with a small number of convex cells. When the cuticle breaks, nectar is released through the cell membranes.

There are also specialized nectaries that originated from primordia (petal rudiments). The number of such nectaries coincides with the number of sepals, or there are two of them. The main functions of nectaries of this type are the allocation and accumulation of nectar.

In most perennial plants of the ranunculus family, open flowers have inwardly curved stamens that cover the carpels.

Pollination by pollen

The anthers begin to mature from the stamens that form the outer circle, gradually reaching the stamens that are adjacent to the carpels. Since immature stamens protect the carpels, the flower cannot self-pollinate for the first time after opening. Pollen on the stigma falls only after the maturation of the stamens of the inner circle. Self-pollination can also be prevented by protogyny.

In warm weather, the walls of the carpels secrete a large amount of nectar. Due to protogyny, seeds usually do not form. Early insects (flies, bees) get nectar without touching the stigmas, so cross-pollination is impossible. Ranunculaceae are practically not pollinated by wind.

Fruit

Most plants of the buttercup family have a fruit, which is a spiral multileaf, characteristic of primitive flowering plants. The fruit usually contains many seeds. A carpel with multiple ovules becomes a leaflet with a single nutlet. Single-seed flyers also exist.

In many buttercups, a fruit is formed - a multi-nutlet. It is formed from a multi-leaf as a result of the reduction of numerous ovules to one, in connection with which the opening mechanism is lost. Multiple nuts are placed on a convex or elongated receptacle.

Less commonly found in the buttercup family are juicy single leaflets that look like black or red berries. Single-carp tissue is juicy, poorly developed. Seeds, located in two dense rows, make up the bulk of the fruit.

The embryo is characterized by slow development; in mature seeds it is often not differentiated. The process of growth and differentiation of the embryo in certain species can proceed during the summer or faster, and sometimes the seeds germinate the following year, in the spring. There are also varieties that germinate after two winters.

fruit spread

Buttercups are distinguished by a variety of ways to distribute their fruits. They do this with the help of various devices that allow the use of air currents, water, the outer covers of animals, some are eaten by animals and birds and carried with their excrement.

Subfamilies Ranunculaceae

All plants of this family are divided into 4 subfamilies:

• Buttercup (Ranunculoideae).
• Vasilinikovye (Thalictroideae).
• Hydrastis (Hydrastiddoideae).
• Kingdonium (Kingdonioideae).

Buttercup (Ranunculoideae)

This subfamily includes rhizomatous herbs and vines with woody stems. Plants have a variety of leaves: simple, whole, dissected, finely dissected and compound. Flowers also differ in structure and number of parts, they can be with or without petals and nectaries.

This is the largest subfamily. It unites almost 30 genera, the most common and numerous of which is the genus Ranunculus (with 600 species). Plants from this genus are common in all geographical areas - from deserts to the Arctic and highlands. There are many aquatic and marsh species, although the majority are mesophytes.

Vasilisnikovye (Thalictroideae)

The subfamily basilisnikovye consists mainly of rhizomatous herbs with strongly dissected or trifoliate leaves. There are no petals, but the perianth is petaloid. Nectaries are often present.

This subfamily is relatively small. It includes the following genera: basilisk, semi-catchment, catchment area, pseudo-catchment, enemion, equal-bearing, anemonella, neoleptopyrum.

Hydrastis (Hydrastiddoideae)

The monotypic genus Hydrastis belongs to this subfamily, of which two species are distributed in North America and Japan. They are rhizomatous herbs with palmately dissected leaves. The hydrastis flower has 3 sepals, but no petals and nectary.

Hydrastis canadensis contains substances with medicinal properties in its rhizome. Among the alkaloids present in their composition is berberine. This substance is found in the roots of plants of the barberry family. This feature indicates their relationship with buttercups. Hydrastis is a genus that is a kind of link between barberry and ranunculus.

Kingdoniaceae (Kingdonioideae)

It is also a monotypic family, which includes the monotypic genus Kingdonia. One-flowered kingdonia is a small rhizomatous herbaceous plant that has simple palmately dissected leaves, solitary actinomorphic petalless flowers with 5-6-7 sepals and 3-6 stamens. The only place where kingdonia grows is China.

Buttercup poisoning

Almost all buttercups are poisonous. Toxic properties are given to these plants by a substance called protoanemonin, which is part of the lactone group. Ranunculus poisoning is rare in humans. The main cause of poisoning is the ingestion of traditional medicine based on buttercups. Animals are more often poisoned by these plants, but, as a rule, there are no fatal outcomes.

Protoanemonin is a volatile oily liquid with a sharp, unpleasant odor and taste. In the process of drying plants, this toxic substance decomposes, becoming harmless.

Protoanemonin toxin is characterized by an aggressive irritant effect. If it enters the body, the mucous membranes of the digestive tract become inflamed. When the vapors of this substance are inhaled, lacrimation, pain in the eyes, cramps in the throat, cough and runny nose begin.

Prevention of poisoning

First of all, you should always remember that the collection of any plants is a responsible procedure that requires compliance with certain rules. But with special care it is necessary to approach the collection of toxic herbal raw materials. First of all, this procedure should be carried out with gloves and prevent the inhalation of toxic volatile substances into the respiratory tract. If the collection was carried out with unprotected hands, care must be taken to ensure that the juice of the plants does not get from the hands into the eyes and mouth. In other words, rubbing your eyes and eating with unwashed hands is strictly prohibited.

When used for the treatment of folk remedies based on buttercup, recommendations for their use and dosage should be strictly observed. Only well-dried plants should be used as raw materials for decoctions from herbs of the ranunculus family.

To avoid poisoning in animals, harvesting of fodder green mass should not be carried out in areas where buttercup grows. If the feed mass contains buttercup, then it is possible to feed animals with it only after complete drying.

The buttercup family includes about 50 genera and over 2000 species, represented mainly in temperate and cold regions of the globe. They are widely distributed on all continents, especially in the northern extratropical zone. The most rich in genera and species of buttercups is the Holarctic kingdom. Within its limits, only in the East Asian floristic region, two-thirds of all genera are concentrated (36 genera, of which 11 are only in this region), and 28 genera are found in the Circumboreal floristic region. In the Arctic, the number of genera and species is not so numerous, but they form an important element of the flora. In the tropics and subtropics, buttercups are much less common and mainly in mountainous areas. There are also endemic genera here.

Thus, most buttercups prefer temperate and cool climates, many species are damp places. There are many aquatic plants in this family. In ponds, rivers, and ditches, the water buttercup is often found (considered either as a subgenus of the buttercup genus or at the rank of an independent genus Batrachium) with leaves strongly dissected to filiform lobes. Marigold grows under conditions of strong moisture (Caltha, Table 26).

Some types of marigold are plants with floating stems rooting at the nodes. The marigold (C. dionaeifolia), which grows in Argentina and southern Chile, has an unusual appearance. Small (5-7.5 cm high) plants form dense tufts. Rounded fleshy leaves, fringed along the edge, folded lengthwise, resemble sundew leaves. The membranous stipules are large - 2-3 times larger than the leaves (Fig. 102). At the same time, the family has plants and dry habitats. Many species grow in deserts and semi-deserts.

Most buttercups are perennial herbs, but among them there are annual or biennial herbs, as well as subshrubs. Rhizome mostly sympodial (rarely monopodial); it is formed if the internodes of new underground shoots are shortened. If they lengthen, a stolon arises (anemone - Anemone, ranunculus - Ranunculus, Table 27, cornflower - Thalictrum, trautfetteria - Trautvetteria, equal fruit - Isopyrum, conmuc - Coptis). Usually, the occurrence of underground formations of a certain type - rhizome or stolon - is constant for the species, although there are exceptions (flexible anemones - Anemone flaccida - have forms with both rhizomes and stolons). There are strongly thickened roots that store nutrients (for example, the Illyrian buttercup - Ranunculus illiricus - has tuberous roots). Sometimes the lower tuberous thickened part of the stem performs the storage function (tuberous buttercup - R. bulbosus). Buttercup spring, or chistyak (R. ficaria), is interesting in that it has two types of brood nights - on the roots (tuberous thickened adventitious roots) and in the axils of the leaves. Both those and others serve for vegetative reproduction. The woody structure of the stem is present only in clematis (Clematis) and the monotypic Himalayan genus Archicclematis (Archiclematis) close to it, but it arose in them a second time from the herbaceous type.

Buttercup leaves are mostly alternate, less often opposite, simple, separate or lobed, palmately, less often pinnately dissected, sometimes entire, more often without stipules, sometimes with rudimentary stipules (some basilis). Basal leaves usually have long petioles and wide sheaths; stem leaves have shorter petioles and the blade often passes into the sheath. The predominant leaf type in the family is with a heart-shaped base, palmately divided into lobes with coarse teeth or incisions. Small leaves are usually round, and large reniform. If the leaf is whole or divided into shallow lobes, its edge is usually serrated or crenate (marigold, chistyak, some buttercups). When the leaf is narrow, its base is rounded or wedge-shaped, and separation, incision or serration is rare and limited only to the upper part (mousetail, some buttercups).

Buttercup flowers are located in primate inflorescences - from racemose to paniculate, rarely solitary, bisexual, occasionally unisexual, spiral, spirocyclic or cyclic, actinomorphic or less often zygomorphic (larkspur - Delphinium, table 28, consolida - Consolida and aconite - Aconite).

The receptacle is usually well developed, and sometimes it is very long (mousetail - Myosurus).

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Ranunculaceae have a variety of flower colors - from white (oak anemone - Anemone nemorosa, table 29) to blue (coppice - Hepatica, table 29, aconite, larkspur), yellow (buttercup, marigold, bathing suit - Trollius), bright red ( adonis - Adonis, table 20, Asian buttercup - Ranunculus asiaticus, table 27). Perianth double or simple, represented only by a calyx, like marigold, anemone, sleep-grass (Pulsatilla, pl. 26), clematis (pl. 30), cornflower. More often, the bright color of the flower refers to the color of the sepals. The calyx usually consists of five sepals, sometimes six, in many clematis - of four, in the clematis - of three, occasionally of two (black cohosh-Cimicifuga, Fig. 103). The number of sepals is not always constant, it especially varies in the marigold, swimsuit, anemone. In specialized flowers of aconite, larkspur, columbine (Aquilegia) - the number of sepals is constant. The sepals usually fall off after flowering. They are preserved only in the genera of the hegemon (Hegemone), hellebore (Helleborus), oxygraphis (Oxygraphis), paroxygraphis (Paroxygraphis), as well as in some species of larkspur, aconite, buttercup, bathing suit. The petals of buttercups are interpreted as modified stamens. The staminate origin of ranunculus petals is proved by studying the conducting system of the flower. Unlike the sepals and like the stamens, the petals have only one leaf trace.

There are usually many stamens, their arrangement is spiral. Anthers open longitudinally, extrusive. Pollen grains in buttercups are quite diverse: they are the most common. three-furrowed, usually with reticulated exine, as well as multi-furrowed and multi-porous.

The gynoecium is apocarpous or more or less syncarpous (for example, in nigella - Nigella, hellebore - Helleborus vesicarius, etc.), sometimes monomeric (consolida, black cohosh, black cohosh - Actaea). The trend of evolution is towards a decrease in the number of carpels and its constancy. At the same time, a very large number of carpels (in some buttercups, mousetail) is also a secondary sign, it is associated with a decrease in the size of the carpels and an increase in the receptacle. The column is well developed. There are many or several ovules in each carpel, rarely 2 or 1. They are located in two rows along the ventral suture or single, attached at its base. Ovules are anatropic, sometimes hemitropic (buttercup), bitegmal or occasionally unitegmal.

Most members of the family are insect pollinated plants. The evolution of flowers went in the direction of adaptation to pollination by various insects. Some species do not have nectaries (clematis, cornflower, anemones, coppice), and pollen attracts insects. For example, pollen-eating beetles, flies, and bees visit chistyak flowers in sunny places (fruits do not form on it in the shade). Coppice pollen serves as food for bees, pollen of some species of anemones (alpine anemones - Anemone alpina, forest anemones - A. silvestris) - for flies and small bugs. However, the vast majority of insects are attracted by nectar, which is available in most of the buttercup genera.

Nectaries are quite diverse in form and origin. In the marigold, nectar is secreted in the depressions located at the base of the carpels. But usually nectar is secreted by petals or staminodes. The most common nectary is in the form of a hole at the base of the petal (buttercup, mousetail), sometimes covered with a scale (many types of buttercup). Nectar-bearing tissue, originating from the cells of the epidermis, lines the bottom of such a hole. Another way of development of the nectary is staminodes (for example, the Siberian prince - Atragene sibirica, Table 29). In the flower of the Siberian prince there are a number of transitional forms - from fertile stamens to stamens that have almost lost anthers, and to staminodes in the form of petals. Nectar is secreted mainly by staminodes. Sometimes fertile stamens produce it in small amounts. At the same time, the nectary is not morphologically formed - the nectar-bearing tissue is located just below the middle of the staminode. It has an epidermis with several convex cells. When the cuticle is ruptured, nectar is released through their membranes. The Siberian prince is a good honey plant.

Specialized nectaries, which originated from the rudiments (primordia) of the petals, have a very interesting shape. The number of such nectaries corresponds to the number of sepals (isocarp, hellebore, nigella) or two of them (types of aconite). Nectaries of this type are strictly specialized to perform the function of extracting and accumulating nectar.

In an equicarp, for example, such a nectary looks like a small leaflet, slightly tubular in shape, with a saccular bend at the base, like a rudiment of a spur. On the inside of the sac is a nectar-bearing tissue. In aconite species, the nectary is a complex formation with a curved spur, at the end of which nectar-bearing glands are placed, and with a petal-like expanded part - a lip. In hellebore, the nectary looks like a cone-shaped funnel, lined inside with nectar-bearing tissue. An extremely complex nectary in Nigella is a fleshy two-horned formation with a ventral scale covering the nectar-bearing tissue. Such nectaries are modified organs of a complicated shape and structure.

In the vast majority of buttercups, when the flower opens (at least actinomorphic), the stamens are bent inward and close the carpels. Anther maturation begins with the stamens of the outer circle and gradually reaches the stamens adjacent to the carpels. Due to the fact that the carpels are protected by immature stamens, in the first stages after the opening of the flower, self-pollination is impossible. Only when the stamens of the innermost circle ripen does it become possible for pollen to get on the stigmas, sometimes this happens with the help of insects (marigold, buttercup, clematis). Self-pollination is prevented by the common protandria (larkspur) or protogynia (small basilisk - Thalictrum minus, black hellebore - Helleborus niger).

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Insects visit the marigold mainly for pollen (honey bees, hoverflies - Syrphidae). Nectar in a small amount in warm weather is secreted by the walls of the carpels. Due to winter flowering, insects rarely visit hellebore flowers. Protogyny, as well as frequent freezing of stigmas, contribute to the fact that seeds are usually not formed. Early small insects that sometimes visit the flowers (bees, flies) can get the nectar without touching the stigmas, so cross-pollination does not occur. In the basilisk basilisk (Thalictrum aquilegifolinm), insects are attracted by purple stamens, which secrete pollen in large quantities. The small basilisk has fewer stamens and they are pale in color - in this plant, pollination is carried out by the wind. Wind pollination in general is quite rare in Ranunculaceae. Zygomorphic flowers (such as aconite, larkspur, columbine, tables 28, 29) are adapted for pollination by insects with a long proboscis, since nectar accumulates at the end of their spurs. A good pollinator is a female garden bumblebee (Bombus hortorum) with a proboscis 19-21 mm long, which allows you to get nectar from the bottom of the flower's long spurs. The entrance to the spurs is wide enough, for example, at the catchment area, so that the bumblebee can stick its head into the flower. Sometimes insects with a short proboscis (3-7 mm long) steal nectar by biting through spurs (Bombus terrestris, honey bee). The pollination of some buttercups by hummingbirds is extremely interesting. They, like insects, are attracted to nectar. As a result of conjugated evolution, the flowers of plants pollinated by hummingbirds have acquired special qualities: they have a denser tissue of flower parts and pedicels (mechanical reinforcement); the spatial arrangement of the anthers and stigmas on the one hand, and the spurs with nectar on the other, leads to pollen sticking to the head and front of the bird in large quantities, facilitating cross-pollination. In hummingbirds, there is a correspondence of the length of the beak and tongue to the length of the flower tube of plant species pollinated by birds. It is noticed that flowers pollinated by hummingbirds are predominantly red or red-yellow in color.

During the last two decades, intensive research has been carried out on the biology of plant pollination. An interesting object for this kind of work is the catchment area. There are two groups of watershed species in North America. One of them, which includes, for example, the beautiful catchment (Aquilegia formosa) and the Canadian catchment (A. canadense), is characterized by drooping red-yellow flowers, short spurs, no smell, and a large amount of nectar. The main pollinator of these species is the Selasphorus platycereus hummingbird. Species of another group (blue catchment - A. caerulea, pubescent catchment - A. pubescens, etc.) have erect flowers of blue, white or yellow color, with long spurs and with a pleasant smell. Less nectar is produced. The main pollinator is butterflies from the hawk family (Sphingidae).

The development of flower traits in each group of species occurred in connection with the pollination system. At the same time, a highly specialized relationship between a species and a single group of pollinators is extremely rare. As a rule, in addition to the main pollinators, both groups are visited by pollen-eating bumblebees. Of these, the most frequent visitor is the western bumblebee (Bombus occidentalis).

Differences in pollination systems are not an effective mechanism to prevent the hybridization of these species, but serve to reinforce the differences in habitat and flowering time between them.

In North America, there are also two species of larkspur pollinated by hummingbirds. In cardinal larkspur (Delphinium cardinale, Fig. 104), bright red flowers are arranged horizontally on thick pedicels. Stamens and carpels are located below the entrance to a single horizontal spur. In this species, the specialization of the flower, which promotes cross-pollination, is combined with protandry. The lower flowers in the inflorescence ripen faster than the upper ones.

Among Ranunculaceae, a spiral multileaf is quite widespread, which is characteristic of primitive flowering groups. This type of fruit is found, for example, in marigold and bathing. There are usually many seeds, and they are located along the inner edge of the carpel suture of each leaflet. In aconite and larkspur, the number of leaflets in the fruit is less - up to five and three (in ajax larkspur - Delphinium ajacis - up to one). A carpel with a large number of ovules usually becomes a leaflet, and with one ovule - a nutlet. However, there are also single-seeded leaflets (Xanthorhiza). Many buttercups are characterized by a multi-nutlet fruit, which originated from a multi-leaf due to the reduction in the number of ovules to one and the loss of the opening mechanism in connection with this. Numerous nuts are located on an elongated (mousetail) or convex (buttercup) receptacle. A rarer type of fruit in the buttercup family is juicy single-leaflets resembling a black or red berry (species of the genus Voronets, Knowltonia). Only a longitudinal, groove on the surface - the seam of a single carpel - gives out the origin of such a berry. The juicy tissue of the pericarp is poorly developed, the bulk of the fruit is seeds in two dense rows.

Within the leaflet group, the seeds are varied. They are mostly smooth or comb-shaped, but in some genera (Enemion - Enemion, semi-catchment - Semiaquilegia, species of the genus Dichocarpon - Dichocarpon) they are engraved and sometimes slightly lamellar. The embryo in many buttercups develops slowly and is often undifferentiated in mature seeds. In some members of the family, the growth and differentiation of the embryo occur during the summer season (oak anemone, buttercup anemone - Anemone ranunculoides, Table 29), in others faster (forest anemone, open sleep-grass - Pulsatilla patens), sometimes much longer and the seeds germinate only next spring (northern aconite - Aconite septentrionale, cornflower).

There are also species that sprout after two winter periods - this is the spring ranunculus and the spike-shaped raven (Actaea spicata). Their seedling appears in the first spring, develops adventitious sucking and storage tuberous roots. In July, the cotyledons die off, the plants remain in autumn and winter in the form of nodules, and only in the second spring they give the first leaf.

An interesting biological feature of the representatives of the buttercup family is the diverse ways of distributing fruits and the adaptations associated with them. Often there are polynuts with anemochoric adaptations - these are feathery columns in the species of sleep-grass, clematis, prince. The short pubescence of the fruitlets (anemone buttercup), long thick hairs (forest anemone), pterygoid outgrowths of the pericarp (anemone narcissus flower - Anemone narcissiflora, cornflower watershed) - all these are adaptations for carrying fruits by wind.

Along with anemochoric, there are fruits equipped with other adaptations. In some species of buttercups growing in conditions of high humidity - in swamps, in streams and the like, the seed is protected from getting wet by a dense endocarp or seed coat. Under the epidermis there are large air-bearing corky cells that form a swimming belt (long-leaved buttercup - Ranunculus lingua, poisonous buttercup - R. sceleratus). In the marsh marigold (Caltha palustris), the seeds swell and turn into a swimming organ. Sometimes water-borne fruits are adapted to be carried by the wind.

Many buttercups are zoochorous. The fruits of some species are adapted to epizoochory - their transfer by animals on the outer covers. Hooked stigma of caustic buttercup (Ranunculus acris), field buttercup (R. arvensis), soft needle buttercup (R. muricatus) is an organ of attachment to animal fur, bird feathers, people's clothes. Dwarf annual plants of the genus hornhead (Ceratocephalus) have a long hooked nose at the top of the carpel. When attached to the fur of an animal, often the entire plant is easily pulled out of the ground and carried in its entirety.

In the buttercup family, there is also synzoochory - the active distribution of rudiments by animals associated with eating their parts. In many forest species, the rudiments are spread by ants. Such rudiments have strong covers that protect them from damage, and in addition, special appendages - elaiosomes, which attract ants and are eaten by them. Elaiosomes are composed of parenchymal cells rich in oil. In the copse of the noble (Hepatica nobilis) elaiosomes, the basal sections of the tissues of the pericarp. Myrmecochora plants are characterized by a certain biology - early flowering and maturation. It is at this time (spring - early summer) that ants feed their larvae and actively collect food. Most myrmecochores (46% of grass species) are found in the lower layer of deciduous forests, including some anemone species. Myrmekohor, found in the steppes, is a well-known medicinal plant - spring adonis (Adonis venialis, Table 26).

Sometimes the fruits of buttercups are eaten by birds and distributed with excrement (endozoochory). It is known that the starling, which feeds mainly on insects and their larvae, also eats the fruits of plants, in particular some, buttercups, anemones. Buttercup creeping seeds were found in sparrow excrement. It has also been established that the reindeer in the Arctic regions eats the seeds of several species of buttercup (creeping buttercup - Ranunculus repens, Hyperborean buttercup - R. hyperboreus, glacial buttercup - R. glacialis, Lapland buttercup - R. lapponicus, etc.), as well as the European bathing suit and alpine basilisk and spreads them with excrement.

Buttercups are divided into 4 subfamilies: hydrastis (Hydrastidoideae), buttercups (Ranunculoideae), cornflowers (Thalictroideae) and kingdoniums (Kingdonioideae).

The Hydrastis subfamily includes the monotypic genus Hydrastis, two species of which are common in Japan and North America. These are rhizomatous herbs with palmately dissected leaves. The hydrastis flower has 3 sepals and is devoid of petals and nectaries. Gynoecium of numerous free carpels. There are 2 ovules in each carpel, but only 1 of them is fertile. The outer integument is longer than the inner one. The fruit of numerous juicy berry-like leaflets. The main number of chromosomes is 13. The rhizome of the Canadian hydrastis (H. canadense) contains substances with medicinal properties. They contain several alkaloids, one of which - berberine - is found in the rhizomes of representatives of the barberry family, which is one of the evidence of their relationship with buttercups. The genus hydrastis is in some respects a link between buttercups and barberries. This genus is also interesting in that, unlike other Ranunculaceae, which have vessel segments exclusively with simple perforations, it also has vessels with scalariform perforations.

The ranunculus subfamily includes both rhizomatous herbs and vines with a woody stem. The leaves are varied - from simple and whole to dissected, finely dissected and complex. Flowers of various structures, with a different number of parts. Petals and nectaries present or absent. There are several, many, 2 or 1 ovules in each carpel. The basic number of chromosomes is 6, 7 and 8; chromosomes are large. This subfamily is the largest in size. It unites about 30 genera, of which the genus Ranunculus is the most widespread and largest in terms of the number of species (about 600 species). Species: Buttercups are found in all areas from the Arctic to the desert and rise high into the mountains. There are water and marsh species. However, the vast majority of buttercups prefer mesophytic conditions. A large genus is clematis (about 400 species), widespread in the East Asian region, North and South America, Africa, and Australia. Representatives of other genera - larkspur (about 150 species) and aconite (300 species) - are found mainly in the northern hemisphere. This subfamily includes the already mentioned genera of anemone (120 species), sleep-grass (about 30 species), copse, adonis, swimsuit, marigold, hellebore, raven, etc. All of them are distributed mainly in temperate regions. The exception is the genus Poultonia, 10 species of which grow in South Africa, and the Malesian genus Naravelia.

Most of the subfamily are herbaceous perennials and annuals (some species of buttercups, mousetail). However, there are genera with a tree structure, lianas (clematis, Table 30). Tree vines are all types of the genus Naravelia, which is close to clematis and is included in it by some botanists. The subfamily of buttercups includes the monotypic genus Laccopetalum (Laccopetalum), the only species of which is the giant laccopetalum (L. giganteum) growing at an altitude of 4000-4200 m in the Andes, in Peru. This is a plant with long (up to 70 cm) basal leaves and very large flowers with an elongated receptacle.

Rhizome grasses predominate in the subfamily Basilisnikovae, usually with trifoliate or strongly dissected leaves. Petals are absent, but the perianth is usually petaloid. There are often nectaries. The fruit is a multi-nutlet or multi-leaflet. The basic number of chromosomes is 7, but in the genera Contis and Xanthoriza it is 9. The chromosomes are small. This subfamily is relatively small, this includes the genera cornflower, enemion, catchment, semi-catchment, false catchment (Paraquilegia, Table 29), equal-fruited, neoleptopyrum (Neoleptopyrum), anemonella (Anemonella).

The largest genus in the subfamily is cornflower (about 120 species), distributed mainly in the northern hemisphere. These are plants with a simple nondescript perianth of four (rarely 5) falling sepals, with long numerous stamens that attract insects. Nectaries are absent. Another genus, the catchment area (about 100 species), has a 5-membered calyx and a corolla of five petals. This genus is distributed in the temperate regions of the northern hemisphere. The small genus enemion (6 species) is represented in North America and Western Asia, the equal fruit (12 species) - in Western Asia and the Himalayas.

The subfamily Kingdoniaceae is monotypic. The monotypic genus Kingdonia belongs to it. Kingdonia single-flowered (K. uniflora) is a small rhizomatous herbaceous plant with simple palmately dissected leaves, single, actinomorphic, petalless flowers with 5 (6-7) sepals, 3-6 stamens. Pollen grains are three-furrow-pore, the fruit is a multi-nutlet. Kingdonia is found only in China.

In a number of characters (single-lacunous nodes, dichotomous branching of leaf veins, petalless reduced flowers, haploid number of chromosomes equal to 15), Kingdonia differs significantly from most buttercups. For this reason, some botanists tend to separate this genus into an independent family.

The vast majority of buttercups are poisonous plants that are not eaten by livestock. This is due to the fact that they contain a variety of alkaloids, which are poisons and are widely used in medicine. Some species have been known to people for a very long time and have been used as medicinal plants. From time immemorial, people have known about the poisonous properties of aconite. In ancient Greece and China, poison for arrows was obtained from it; in Nepal, they poisoned drinking water to protect against attacks by enemies, and the meat of goats and sheep, which served as bait for catching large predatory animals. In Tibet, aconite is still considered the "king of medicine." The whole aconite plant contains alkaloid aconitine - the strongest poison. Even honey containing aconite pollen is poisonous. The medicinal uses of this plant are extremely diverse. Of the other plants of this family containing valuable alkaloids, larkspur should be mentioned. Among the 40 alkaloids found in the tissues of species of this genus, there are alkaloids with a curare-like effect. Used in medicine and alkaloids found in the tissues of some types of cornflower.

Another group of medicinally valuable substances found in buttercups is the glycosides of the cardiac group, used to treat cardiovascular diseases. First of all, it is necessary to name spring adonis, which has a high content of active substances. Glycosides also contain hellebore and sleep-grass.

Probably promising is the use of extracts of some species of ranunculus to combat pathogenic fungi that cause powdery mildew and cancer of some fruit trees (quince, peach, pomegranate, figs). A study of several species of buttercup and clematis found their fungicidal properties.

Among the ranunculaceae, there are fat-oil plants, which have mainly semi-drying and drying liquid oils. The largest percentage of liquid oil was found in the seeds of clematis, ranunculus, and cornflower. Particularly valuable for practical use are the oils of black nigella (Nigella sativa), field nigella (N. arvensis) and catchment area, as well as aconite, larkspur, and cornflower. Oils of this type are used in many sectors of the automotive, paint and varnish, textile, food industries, medicine, etc.

Thanks to the brightly colored flowers of various colors, many buttercups are recognized ornamental plants. Among the wild plants of our flora, the bathing suit, various types of anemone, copse, sleep-grass, larkspur, etc. are very popular.

It is known that in ancient Rome, crown-shaped anemone flowers (Anemone coronaria) were used for wreaths. From the end of the 17th century Adonis becomes a favorite decorative pacrei-shem. According to legend, bright red flowers of autumn adonis (Adonis autumnalis) grew from the blood of Aphrodite's favorite - Adonis, who was killed by a boar while hunting. According to other sources, this plant is named after the Assyrian god Adon.

In the XVI - XVII centuries. in Central European gardens, in addition to the Mediterranean-Balkan and Alpine plants, plants of the local flora begin to be cultivated. It was then that the black hellebore, a very popular and now "Christmas flower", was introduced into the culture, as well as a bathing suit, a cornflower with decorative foliage. At the end of the XVIII century. European gardens were replenished with plants from China and Japan, including the Japanese anemone (Anemone japonica).

To date, many buttercups have been introduced into culture. Interesting ornamental: the plant is clematis. This genus includes liana-like shrubs, often clinging to a support with twisting leaf petioles. Fruits - numerous nuts with long pubescent columns - are collected in a silky fluffy head. More than 2000 varieties and varieties of clematis are known, bred in Western Europe in a coastal climate. An excellent collection of clematis has been created in the Nikitsky Botanical Garden, where there are over 150 hybrid forms that are resistant to drought and pests. This culture attracts attention with the duration of the growing season, abundant flowering. In large-flowered varieties, flowers reach a diameter of 22 cm and amaze with a variety of colors - from white to purple. Small-flowered clematis are very fragrant.

Forest herbaceous plants Biological encyclopedic dictionary

- (Ranunculaceae Juss.) a family of dicotyledonous free-leaved plants, embracing annual, biennial and perennial herbs, as well as subshrubs and climbing shrubs (clematis). In some species, the leaves are only basal, in others they also ... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary F.A. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron

uh; pl. Nerd. A family of plants that includes ranunculus, marigold, peony, etc. * * * Ranunculaceae is a family of dicotyledonous plants. About 2000 species (50 genera), mainly in the temperate and cold zones of the Northern Hemisphere. To the buttercups ... ... encyclopedic Dictionary

This term has other meanings, see Wrestler (meanings). Wrestler ... Wikipedia

High (Delphinium elatum ... Wikipedia

The buttercup family includes many plants that are diverse in appearance and structure, distributed mainly in countries with a temperate and cold climate. They are also found in high mountain pastures. The buttercup family, the general characteristics and description of the representatives of which are presented below, includes both medicinal and decorative ones. Some species are listed in the Red Book.

Buttercup family: general characteristics

The main features of buttercups relate to external signs and structural features of organs. In particular, perennials with alternate leaves without stipules predominate among the representatives.

The family of buttercups belongs to flowers, that is, to flowering plants, as a rule, they are correct, bisexual. The most common flowers are of the five-type type, but there are cases of deviations in the number of sepals and petals. Characterized by a large number of stamens and pistils.

The receptacle connects to the stamens and perianth under the pistil. Fastening is free. The corolla perianth can be double or simple, sometimes the petals can turn into nectaries.

The buttercup family is characterized by cross-pollination. Self-pollination is rare. Fruit type - achene or leaflet.

Spreading

Buttercups grow almost everywhere. Meadows, fields, forests - all these are habitats for members of the family. Many buttercups have poisonous properties. Able to harm the digestive, circulatory system of both humans and animals. Characteristic signs of poisoning are vomiting, loose stools, colic, convulsions, slowing of the pulse. If the animal eats too many buttercups, then this can lead to death, which occurs 6-12 hours after the onset of convulsions. It is important that when dried, the poisonous properties are lost.

Meaning

The family of buttercups is quite numerous, and some plants are highly valued in gardening (peony, aconite, clematis). There are among the representatives and medicinal plants, for example, which is used in the treatment of heart disease. One of the earliest spring flowers is the golden ranunculus, and creeping buttercup can be found in the meadows.

The buttercup genus is the most numerous

This genus, in fact, makes up almost the entire buttercup family. Representatives of the genus are very numerous - more than 300 species. Golden corollas gleam in the sun, as if smeared with butter, which attracts the attention of numerous inhabitants of the meadows. Despite their outward beauty, most buttercup species are weeds. And very durable. In the fight against them, meadow growers are in an obvious loss. These plants show an example of incredible resilience and adaptability to environmental conditions. For example, in the Faroe Islands, where there are continuous heavy rains, the buttercup has adapted to pollination without the participation of insects. Their absence there did not become an obstacle to the widespread distribution of these plants.

It is easy to answer the question about the morphological classification of the genus buttercup. What family it makes up can be understood by its name. In colloquial speech, this name is used for many plants, even belonging to other genera, but having typical family characteristics.

buttercup caustic

It is a meadow weed that blooms in spring. Can be found in meadows until late autumn. The height of the shoots can vary greatly, it varies from 20 cm to 60 cm.

The most typical representative of the family is the caustic buttercup. Although the plant family is very diverse, this species is closest, from an evolutionary point of view, to ancient ancestors.

The leaves are deeply palmate, five-parted, have rhombic lobes. The lower ones are attached to long petioles, and the upper ones to short ones.

The erect stems are characterized by the presence of adpressed hairs and single flowers located at the ends of the branches. There are no grooves on the pedicels, but there are soft hairs. Flower of the five type. The calyx is free-leaved greenish in color, and the free petals are painted in. At the base of each of the petals is a honey gland, which is covered with a scale.

One of the most dangerous plants for livestock, this family also includes other poisonous species, but due to the ubiquitous distribution of the caustic buttercup, it is this plant that most often causes poisoning of domestic animals.

Larkspur field

Speaking of, several names are used: horned cornflower, juicer.

It grows, as a rule, among winter crops, less often among spring crops. Clusters of larkspur can also be found in fallow fields.

The flower is irregular, blue-violet, with spurs. They are located on the stem in the form of a rare branched brush. The perianth is represented by two colored sepals and two petals. Cross-pollination, with the participation of insects with long proboscis. With their help, they get nectar from the spur. The stem branches, it can reach a height of 30 cm. The leaves are tripartite with linear lobes. The fruit is a leaflet. The seeds are dark gray in color and can be up to 2-5 mm long. Outside, they are covered with thin scales. They have a bitter taste and poisonous properties. Cases of larkspur poisoning are common in sheep.

Lumbago

The characteristic of plants of the genus Pulsatilla proves how diverse the ranunculus family is. Its representatives can be both weeds (buttercup) and rare plants (lumbago). The former do not know how to get rid of, and the latter do not know how to save. Backache appears in early spring, as soon as the snow melts. Hence the second name - snowdrop. First, a large flower of delicate purple or yellow color in the form of a glass begins to rise above the ground. It is so close to the surface that it can be very difficult to rip it off. The whole fragile plant is shrouded in a sheath, which is formed by numerous soft hairs. This helps to protect the delicate body from the cold. Day by day, the stem on which the flower is located is stretched more and more. Leaves appear much later. The vitality of the flower is supported by last year's reserves, which are scooped up by a powerful, strong, like a piece of wood, root hidden in the ground.

Shooter needs protection

In many European countries, the backache has become so rare that its ecological value can be compared with that of a tiger in India. Backache is included in the Red Book there. On the territory of Siberia, there is still quite a lot of backache. To keep its numbers at a high level, ecologists took up its demography. The age of each plant within the experimental group was calculated, subgroups of the young and the elderly were identified. The results of the study were very disappointing. The predominance of old individuals over young ones was prevailing. The explanation for this fact can be very different. Perhaps the reason for this is the low number of pollinating insects during the early spring. As a result, the flowers are little pollinated, which reduces the number of fruitlets. According to another version, the reddish background of last year's grass does not create a very rosy picture, but the purple inclusions of the lumbago flowers, apparently, are so pleasing to the eyes of the townspeople that they want to take a piece of this joy home. A happy feature, which consists in the late formation of leaves, does not allow the “headless plants” to die, but they no longer form fruits. Thus, there is no replenishment of the ranks of young animals. At the same time, the number of old plants increases.

The flower of the lumbago is correct. That is, cutting it into two parts, you always get two symmetrical halves.

The mystery of the neighborhood of lumbago and pine

The family of buttercups, and in particular the genus Pasque, became the object of study for the geobotanist I. Ilyinskaya. She successfully unraveled the secret of the constant neighborhood of the lumbago with the pine. It turns out that the fragile snowdrop is the protector of the tall pine tree. I. Ilyinskaya conducted her research in the forest-steppe. From tall trees, pine seeds are blown away by the wind to the steppe zone, where it is very difficult for them to take root. Most young seedlings die from the burning sun and the onslaught of steppe grassy vegetation. But there are unusual areas in the steppe where young pines flaunt in the middle of the bare steppe. They escaped both from the sun's rays and from the onslaught of grasses. And the lumbago bushes helped them, which, like a miniature palm grove, formed a shadow, so necessary for young shoots of pine. Having strengthened, the pine outgrows its protector. This is how the pines are gradually replacing the virgin steppe.

Aconite

Aconite flowers are irregular. One of the petals has grown so much that it has become much larger than the rest. It is like a helmet, which is why in some countries it is called the "monk's hood". There are 60 species in the genus Aconites. All of them are plants of the northern hemisphere. The buttercup family, as you know, is characterized by brightly colored flowers. Aconite is another confirmation of this. In the steppe, the characteristic color is yellow, in the taiga - blue and purple. The height of the shoots in the humid middle mountains, where the soil does not freeze due to the large amount of snow, can reach 2-3 meters. Then you can look at it only from the bottom up. Thickets of aconite, like a dense spruce forest, dark and damp. This darkness does not allow the development of other plants. The soil is covered with fallen aconite leaves. The stem at the top ends with a huge brush-garland of helmet-shaped flowers: below they are large, blossoming, and above - still buds. Reliability of procreation is provided by different time of seed maturation.

In horticulture, the beauty of aconite has long been valued. Hunters in the Himalayas use poisonous aconite tubers as a substitute for curare. The aerial part is also poisonous, so you can’t leave a large bouquet indoors for a long time. The presence of poison in plants is a guarantee of their safety, protection from being eaten by herbivores. But there is an exception among representatives of the fauna. A pika (a rodent that looks like a ground squirrel) likes to feast on the greens of aconite. In the summer, pikas cut aconite stalks to the very root, like lumberjacks felling trees. These are their winter preparations. Pikas gnaw through the stems, from which they then make sheaves.

Adonis

The medicinal herb of the buttercup family is the adonis. He very subtly adapts to the conditions of the surrounding reality, sensitively reacting to any disturbances in nature introduced by man. Adonis is a resident of the steppes, which leads to a small height of plants (no more than 50 cm). The leaves are typical of the habitat - with narrow slices, almost filiform, like a carrot. The flower is lush, golden in color. The number of petals varies from 15 to 20 pieces, there are many stamens and pistils. Flowers are used in pharmacology. They serve as raw materials for the manufacture of heart drops. But the steppes are being plowed up, and the amount of adonis is decreasing. They tried to grow it in the garden, but, alas, it did not take root there. Therefore, the areas of the steppe where the adonis has been preserved must be carefully protected.

The characterization of the ranunculaceae family would be incomplete without an indication of its diversity. The number of genera in this family reaches fifty, and more than 2000 species. These are mainly herbs, in rare cases - shrubs. The woody structure (secondary) is characteristic of only a few species.

Buttercups combine more than one and a half thousand herbaceous, shrubby and semi-shrub and even aquatic plants that grow mainly in the temperate and cold climate of the Northern Hemisphere. Some buttercups can grow in the tropics, but there they choose high mountain areas for life.

Ranunculaceae, depending on the genus and species, can only have lower leaves, basal, or maybe also stem, arranged in the next order. The leaf blades of these plants are either whole, or lobed, or dissected. The petiole of the leaf expands towards the vagina. Flowers may be regular or irregular, unisexual or bisexual, solitary axillary or apical, and may form paniculate or racemose inflorescences. They have five petals, five sepals, a large number of pistils and stamens, and they can be colored in yellow, white, bright red or deep blue. The fruits are also diverse: single-leafed, multi-leafed or multi-nutlets with protein seeds.

Some buttercups may contain alkaloids, essential oils, and other valuable substances. Ranunculus plants such as aconite, adonis, delphinium, hellebore, buttercup and bathing suit are popular in culture.

Flower adonis (lat. Adonis), or Adonis, belongs to the genus of the Ranunculaceae family, which, according to various sources, includes from 20 to 45 species of herbaceous annuals and perennials growing in Europe and Asia with a temperate climate. The adonis plant prefers cool summers. The Latin name Adonis, according to the myth, was given in honor of the son of the Cypriot king, the young man Adonis, beloved by Aphrodite, who died hunting from a blow of a boar. The blood of Adonis dyed flowers and plants red, so the name "Adonis" should refer only to species with red flowers, although there are not so many of them in the genus. According to another version, the name of the flower comes from the name of the Assyrian god Adon. Adonis became a popular plant in culture only by the end of the 17th century, but since then decorative adonis has been constantly grown in parks, gardens and flower beds.

Planting and caring for adonis in the open field, as well as a description of plant species, is the topic of this article.

Plant aquilegia (lat. Aquilegia), or catchment, or eagle, belongs to the genus of herbaceous perennials of the Ranunculaceae family. According to various sources, there are from 60 to 120 plant species growing in the mountainous regions of the Northern Hemisphere. About 35 species are grown in culture. There are disagreements about the origin of the Latin name: some argue that it is formed from the words aqua - "water" and legere - "collect", while others believe that the word aquila, which means "eagle", is the basis of the name.

Aquilegia has long been known in the world of flower growers and not only. She is also mentioned in fiction, for example, in Hamlet, Ophelia offers her brother Laertes a columbine flower (as the British call aquilegia). And in the paintings of medieval artists, the aquilegia flower symbolized the presence of the Holy Spirit.

Aconite (lat. Aconite), or fighter- refers to the genus of herbaceous perennials of the Ranunculaceae family, whose representatives grow mainly in North America, Asia and Europe. More than 300 plants of the genus have been described so far. Aconite is cultivated for decorative and medicinal purposes. You will learn about the history and properties of the wrestler, how to grow it and how to care for it, from this article.

It doesn't matter how your love for anemones began - from a gift bouquet or admiring a neighbor's flower bed - this flower can fall in love with you at first sight!

So that your passion for a bright beauty does not turn into a dreary burden, be sure to familiarize yourself with the requirements of this flower sissy for care, watering, soil, lighting and delicacies ... Still not sick of it? Then catch the first life hack on anemones: the capriciousness of this flower depends ... on the variety! If you are not yet ready to pay much attention to the flower you like, just choose the anemone "more accommodating".

How not to get lost in the fascinating, but such a huge (today there are about 160 species!) assortment of anemones? How to choose an unpretentious or, on the contrary, the most “difficult” anemone? How not to confuse the summer anemone with the autumn one, and even less messing with the mandatory annual freezing of seeds - we will tell right now.

We won’t talk about the beauty of the “king of blue flowers”, if you have ever seen a delphinium, its complex lace inflorescences have probably sunk into your soul.

Let's talk better about the tricks and surprises that this popularly beloved flower is preparing for the flower grower.

Did you know that all parts of the delphinium are poisonous? When growing and even admiring the closest flower, there is no danger to humans and domestic animals. But if you have an apiary, you risk getting the so-called "drunk honey"!

There is a snag with double flowering. Many people love the delphinium because it also has a second, autumn wave of flowering, but few people know that it is very debilitating for the plant and negatively affects the quality of subsequent summer flowering. Scrupulous flower growers should take this into account.

With proper care, the delphinium can bloom up to 50 days in one wave! How to achieve this, read in our material.

Marigold (lat. Caltha)- a small genus of herbaceous perennials of the Ranunculaceae family, in which there are about 40 species. The scientific name of the genus comes from the Greek language, translated as "cup", "basket", and describes the shape of the flower of these plants. The Russian name is derived from the old Russian "kaluzh", which means "puddle", "swamp". Otherwise, this plant is called a paddling pool and a water snake.

The most common species in culture is marsh marigold, which is naturally found in North America, Mongolia, Japan, in the west and north of China, in the mountains of the Indian subcontinent, and almost throughout Europe, with the exception of its southern regions.

The main thing a gardener needs to know about clematis is that they are of two types - with lignified and grassy shoots. If you are going to plant clematis for the first time in your area, it is very important to find out which species you have purchased. After all, they require a completely different approach!

Otherwise, you run the risk of not waiting for that very fabulous flowering that clematis is so famous for.

The second important point for clematis is pruning. It depends on the type and timing of pruning how your clematis will grow, when and how much it will bloom, and even the plant's immunity to fungal infections also depends on pruning!

All the secrets of clematis are in our material.

When autumn comes, the main task of any gardener is to prepare plants for wintering. Lovers of flowering clematis vines have many questions: what to do with clematis in the fall, that is, what activities need to be done to prepare it for winter, is it possible to plant clematis in autumn or is it better to do it in spring, how to plant clematis in autumn, how to care for it after planting, when to transplant clematis - in autumn or spring ... There are a lot of questions, so we decided to post an article on the site in which you will find answers to your questions.

buttercup ranunculus(lat. Ranunculus, from the word rana - frog) - a genus of herbaceous perennials of the Buttercup family. Representatives of the genus differ in caustic juice, which makes all parts of the plant poisonous. The similarity with frogs in these plants is manifested in the fact that many species of buttercups in nature live in water or near water bodies, like the mentioned amphibians. About 360 species of buttercups are distributed in the world, growing in the Northern Hemisphere in regions with a temperate and cold climate, but in culture they grow mainly garden buttercup, or Asian buttercup, its many varieties and varieties, decorating our gardens with flowering in the middle of summer for a month.

These products of the hard work of breeders, amazing with a variety of colors and beauty of forms, are no longer similar to their wild relatives - creeping buttercup or field buttercup, which littered the crops of our ancestors. And all because in the middle of the 16th century, some types of this plant interested flower growers, and at the end of the seventeenth century, the ranunculus plant, as well as its hybrids bred by that time, became as popular as tulips or carnations.

Plant hellebore (lat. Helleborus) belongs to the genus of herbaceous perennials of the Ranunculaceae family, of which, according to various sources, there are from 14 to 22 species growing in shady places in the mountains in Europe, in particular in the Mediterranean, and also in the east - in Asia Minor. A greater number of species grows on the Balkan Peninsula. In Germany, a hellebore flower in a pot is a traditional Christmas gift: the legend says that the little shepherd, upset that he had no gifts for the born Jesus, wept bitterly, and in the place where his tears fell, beautiful flowers bloomed, which the boy had collected and offered as a gift to the Christ child. Since then, the hellebore in Europe is called the “rose of Christ”, and in our country it is called the “winter hut”, because sometimes the hellebore blooms in January and even in November.

Plant nigella (lat. Nigella), or nigella, belongs to the genus of herbaceous plants of the Ranunculaceae family, numbering more than 20 species and common in Western Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Latin name means approximately the same as the Russian one, since it is derived from the word niger, which means "black". The nigella flower is called so because of the jet-black seeds of the plant. The spread of nigella began from Turkey and the North Caucasus, from where it first came to India, and from there to Europe. The English call nigella kalinji, blessed seeds, flowering fennel, black cumin, black sesame, nutmeg, and Italian coriander, although nigella has nothing to do with any of these plants.

It is quite easy to grow this jewelry beauty in your garden or on your balcony. The main thing is to decide on the planting material: growing ranunculus from seeds is a task with an asterisk, but from tubers even a beginner by the middle of summer will be able to get a coveted bouquet, like fashion bloggers!

For both growing options, we have prepared a handy manual. We are sure that our tips will help you make caring for your homemade ranunculus even more enjoyable!

Flower erantis (lat. Eranthis), or spring represents a genus of perennial plants of the Ranunculaceae family, with seven species. Translated from the ancient Greek language, the name of the genus means "spring flower". Representatives of this genus grow in Asia and Southern Europe. Two species are endemic to China, one is endemic to the Siberian mountains, and one is endemic to the Japanese island of Honshu. The type species of the genus was brought from Europe to North America, and now it can be found there even in the wild. In Erantis culture since 1570.

General information about ranunculus

Ranunculaceae (lat. Ranunculaceae), a family of dicotyledonous plants. About 2000 species (50 genera), mainly in the temperate and cold zones of the Northern Hemisphere. Representatives of the family are annual, biennial and perennial herbs; sometimes shrubs and climbing shrubs. Buttercups include aconite, ranunculus, larkspur, adonis, anemone, columbine, clematis, hellebore, etc. Many buttercups are poisonous.

Aconite (Aconitum) or Wrestler, a genus of perennial herbs of the ranunculus family. About 300 species, in the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere. Plants are poisonous. Many aconites are bred as ornamentals. Tubers of some species are used in medicine as an antipyretic and analgesic. Buttercup (Ranunculus), a genus of herbs in the buttercup family. Over 600 species, widely distributed, but in the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere; common mainly in wet meadows and forests. Plants are poisonous, some are decorative. Buttercup Sayan - protected.

Larkspur (Delphinium) (delphinium, spur), a genus of perennial herbs of the buttercup family. About 250 species, in the Northern Hemisphere and in the mountains of tropical Africa. Sowing larkspur (juice) is a melliferous and dyeing plant. Larkspur high - medicinal plant (curare-like action). Many types of larkspur are decorative. Adonis (Adonis), a genus of annual or perennial herbs of the ranunculus family. Over 20 species, in the temperate zone of Eurasia and North Africa; grow in dry open areas. Many species are poisonous. Anemone (Anemone) or Anemone, a genus of rhizomatous herbs (occasionally subshrubs) of the buttercup family. About 150 species, around the globe. Many of them are early spring plants, some are decorative. Catchment (Aquilegia) (eagle, aquilegia), a genus of perennial herbs of the buttercup family. About 100 species, in the temperate zone of Eurasia and America; including 27 species in Eastern Siberia, Central Asia, and the Caucasus. Some are decorative.

Botanical description. In some species, the leaves are only basal, in others they are also stalk, in the majority they are alternate (only opposite in clematis) - without stipules, entire or palmately or pinnately dissected; the base of the petiole is mostly expanded in the form of a sheath. The flowers of some Ranunculaceae are correct, while others are irregular; most are bisexual and a few are unisexual. Flowers develop either singly at the top of the stem or in leaf axils, or in racemes or panicles. A typical flower is arranged like this: five sepals, five petals, many stamens and pistils; but there are numerous deviations from this type; so, there are three or a lot of sepals; sometimes they are petaloid, and then the corolla does not develop at all or remains rudimentary; sometimes the petals turn into tubular honey cakes; the number of pistils is sometimes reduced to one. The fruit is a composite, consisting of achenes or multi-seeded leaflets, occasionally a berry and a box. The seeds contain a large protein and a small embryo.
The most interesting genera of the buttercup family:
Adonis
Aconite (Aconite)
Anemone (Anemone)
Catchment (Aquilegia)
Voronets (Actaea)
Larkspur (Delphinium)
Swimsuit (Trollius)
Buttercup (Ranunculus)
Clematis (Clematis)
Hellebore (Helleborus)
Backache (Pulsatilla)

Healing properties and use in folk medicine. Adonis. It is used in galenical preparations (partly standardized) for heart disease and circulatory disorders under the supervision of a physician. The main areas of their application are disorders of the activity of the heart muscle from mild to moderate severity, weakening of cardiac activity, palpitations with hyperfunction of the thyroid gland, as well as heart ailments due to nerves.
Aconite. In pharmaceutical doses, aconite acts through the nervous system on the entire body as a whole. In the first place is the analgesic effect for neuralgia, sciatica and gout. It should also be noted the beneficial effect of aconite in high temperature and colds (especially in bronchitis). Doctors sometimes prescribe it internally as a tincture, and externally as a liquid rub or ointment to relieve pain.
Larkspur is quite popular in folk medicine: an infusion of the herb is used as an appetizing, gastric and antidiarrheal remedy, sometimes fractures are treated. Grass is applied to the gums to relieve toothache, a decoction of the roots is drunk for hernias, syphilis, burns, jaundice. Roots and rhizomes have a curare-like effect. An infusion of the herb is also used as an anthelmintic, for epilepsy, syphilis, ascites, jaundice, and cancer. Seeds in Indian medicine are used as an emetic, diuretic, choleretic, laxative and anthelmintic.