RA N UNCULA CEAE. 4 1 1 



Family 5. RANUNCULACEAE Juss.* 



Crowfoot Family. 



Herbs, or rarely climbing shrubs, with acrid sap. Leaves alternate 

 (except in Clematis and Atragene). Stipules usually none, but the base 

 of the petiole often sheathing. Pubescence, when present, composed 

 of simple hairs. Sepals 3-15, generally caducous, otten petal-like, im- 

 bricate, except in Clematis and Atragene. Petals about the same number 

 (occasionally more), or wanting. Stamens oo , hypogynous, their anthers 

 innate. Carpels oo or rarely solitary, i-celled, i-many-ovuled. Ovules 

 anatropous. Fruit achenes, follicles or berries. Seeds with endosperm. 

 About 35 genera and 1050 species, distributed throughout the world, not 

 abundant in the tropics. 



* Carpels several-ovuled (1-2 ovuled in nos. I and 8); fruit a follicle or berry. 



Flowers regular ; leaves palmately nerved or palmately compound. 

 Petals wanting. 



Carpels ripening into a head of red berries. i. Hydrastis. 



Carpels ripening into a head of dry follicles. 2. Caltha. 



Petals present, narrow or small, linear, flat. 3. Trollius. 



Petals present, narrow or small, tubular, at least at the base. 



Sepals persistent ; stem tall, leafy. 4. Helleborus. 



Sepals deciduous ; stem scape-like, bearing one leaf. 5. Cammarum. 



Flowers regular ; leaves ternately or pinnately compound or decompound. 

 Petals not spurred. 



Low herbs with solitary or panicled flowers. 



Carpels and follicles stalked. 6. Coptis. 



Carpels and follicles sessile. 7. Isopyrum. 



Low shrub with racemose flowers. 8. Xanthorrhiza. 



Tall erect herbs with racemose flowers. 



Fruit berries. 9. Actaea. 



Fruit follicles. 10* Cimicifuga. 



Petals prolonged backward into hollow spurs. n. Aquilegia. 



Flowers irregular. 



Posterior sepal spurred. 12. Delphinium. 



Posterior sepal hooded, helmet-like. 13. Aconitum. 



* * Carpels l-ovuled ; fruit an achene. 



Flowers subtended by involucres remote from the calyx or close under it; sepals petal- 

 like. 



Styles short, glabrous or pubescent, or none. 



Involucre remote from the calyx ; styles short, subulate. 14. Anemone. 

 Involucre of 3 simple sessile leaves close under the flower. 15. Hepatica. 

 Involucre of 3 compound sessile leaves ; leaflets stalked ; stigma sessile. 



1 6. Syndesmon. 



Styles elongated, densely plumose. 17. Pulsatilla. 



Flowers not subtended by involucres. 

 Leaves opposite; sepals petal-like. 



Petals wanting. 18. Clematis. 



Petals present, small, spatulate. 19. Atragene. 



Leaves alternate or basal. 



Small annual herbs ; leaves basal, linear ; sepals spurred. 20. Myosurus. 

 Low or tall herbs, mostly with both basal and stem leaves ; sepals spurless. 



Petals none ; leaves palmately lobed. 21. Irautvetteria. 



Petals present, bearing a nectariferous pit at the base of the blade. 

 Achenes compressed, smooth, papillose or spiny ; flowers yellow. 



22. Ranunculus. 



Achenes transversely wrinkled ; flowers white. 23. Batrachium. 



Achenes swollen, smooth ; sepals 3 ; petals mostly 8. 



24. Ficaria. 

 Achenes compressed or terete ; longitudinally nerved. 



Achenes terete ; leaves pinnately compound. 25. Cyrtorhyncha. 

 Achenes compressed ; leaves crenate or lobed. 26. Oxygraphis. 

 Petals none ; leaves ternately decompound. 27. 7^halictrum. 



Petals present, with no nectar-bearing pit ; leaves dissected. 



28. Adonis. 



* Revised by Dr. P. A. RYDBERG. 



