There’s a lot of variability in the buttercup family, with many of its members displaying some, but not all, of the general family features outlines above. Inserted spirally on an elongate receptacle.īecause many of its members have palmately compounds leaves that apparently reminded someone of a bird’s foot, the Ranunculaceae is also called the “crowfoot family”īuttercups are often called “crowfoot” because of their palmate leaves. MOUSEOVER the IMAGE to see BUTTERCUP FRUITS (ACHENES)īuttercup flowers have separate parts, including many stamens and carpels, The buttercup family exemplifies primitiveness among the flowering plants, with most of its members displaying the “FENSH” flower structure. (Medicinal information, in all its weirdness, derived from the botany textbook Introduction to Plant Biology, 8th. Goldenseal, a plant that was once abundant in the woods of temperate eastern North America, has become somewhat scarce because of relentless collecting by herb dealers who sell the root for various medicinal uses, especially as a remedy for inflamed throats. Others crushed and moistened the seeds and applied them to the scalp to repel lice. Men would pulverize the seeds, rub them in the palms of their hands and then try to shake hands with the partner of their choice. Native Americans made a tea from boiled columbine roots for control of diarrhea, and members of at least two tribes believed the seeds to be an aphrodisiac. The columbine, a species of which is the state flower of Colorado, receives its name from C olumba, the Latin word for dove, in apparent reference to the somewhat dovelike appearance of each of its five, spurred petals (frankly, I don’t see it). These include including buttercup, columbine, larkspur, anemone, monkshood, and clemalis. The family, while not economically important from an agricultural perspective, does contain some well-known ornamental members.

The fruit is a follicle, achene, berry, or a capsule (rarely). The gynoecium is typically apocarpous, composed of many spirally inserted carpels.

The androecium is typically of numerous stamens, spirally inserted on the receptacle. The perianth consists of separate sepals and petals that are often not differentiated from one another, and petals are often lacking. A buttercup family is typically elongate. The flowers are usually bisexual, radially symmetric (actinomorphic), arranged in solitary fashion, or in racemes or cymes. The leaves are usually alternately arranged and palmately compound, and lack stipules. The buttercup family consists mainly of annual or perennial herbs, or, rarely, woody plants.

Cowslip, or marsh-marigold ( Caltha palustris) is a native wetland herb.

Meadow buttercup facts