Ficaria

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Ficaria
(MHNT) Ficaria verna - flower.jpg
Lesser celandine, Ficaria verna
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Ranunculales
Family: Ranunculaceae
Tribe: Ranunculeae
Genus: Ficaria
Guett.
Species

Ficaria is a small genus of several species of plants in the family Ranunculaceae, which were previously grouped with Ranunculus . [1] The genus includes Ficaria verna , known as fig buttercup or lesser celandine, and related species. The name "Ficaria" is Classical Latin for fig. [2] Plants in the genus are closely related to true buttercups, but generally have only three sepals and swollen smooth achenes.

Contents

Splitting of genus Ranunculus

Molecular investigation of the genus Ranunculus revealed that it was not monophyletic with respect to a number of other recognized genera in the family – e.g. Ceratocephala , Halerpestes , Hamadryas , Laccopetalum , Myosurus , Oxygraphis , Paroxygraphis and Trautvetteria . The work revealed the need to separate Ficaria from Ranunculus, and both were added to the tribe Ranunculeae. [3]

Toxicity

All Ficaria and Ranunculus species are poisonous when eaten fresh by cattle, horses, and other livestock, but their acrid taste and the blistering of the mouth caused by their poison means they are usually left uneaten. Poisoning can occur where buttercups are abundant in overgrazed fields where little other edible plant growth is left, and the animals eat them out of desperation. Symptoms include bloody diarrhea, excessive salivation, colic, and severe blistering of the mouth, mucous membranes and gastrointestinal tract. When Ranunculus plants are handled, naturally occurring ranunculin is broken down to form protoanemonin, which is known to cause contact dermatitis in humans; care should therefore be exercised in extensive handling of the plants. [4] The toxins are degraded by drying, so hay containing dried buttercups is safe.

Species list

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Aconitum</i> Genus of flowering plants in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae

Aconitum, also known as aconite, monkshood, wolf's-bane, leopard's bane, mousebane, women's bane, devil's helmet, queen of poisons, or blue rocket, is a genus of over 250 species of flowering plants belonging to the family Ranunculaceae. These herbaceous perennial plants are chiefly native to the mountainous parts of the Northern Hemisphere in North America, Europe, and Asia; growing in the moisture-retentive but well-draining soils of mountain meadows.

<i>Ficaria verna</i> Species of flowering plant in the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae)

Ficaria verna, commonly known as lesser celandine or pilewort, is a low-growing, hairless perennial flowering plant in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae native to Europe and Western Asia. It has fleshy dark green, heart-shaped leaves and distinctive flowers with bright yellow, glossy petals. It is now introduced in North America, where it is known by the common name fig buttercup and considered an invasive species. The plant is poisonous if ingested raw and potentially fatal to grazing animals and livestock such as horses, cattle, and sheep. For these reasons, several US states have banned the plant or listed it as a noxious weed. It prefers bare, damp ground and is considered by horticulturalists in the United Kingdom as a persistent garden weed; nevertheless, many specialist plantsmen, nursery owners and discerning gardeners in the UK and Europe collect selected cultivars of the plant, including bronze-leaved and double-flowered ones. Emerging in late winter with flowers appearing late February through May in the UK, its appearance across the landscape is regarded by many as a harbinger of spring.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ranunculaceae</span> Family of eudicot flowering plants

Ranunculaceae is a family of over 2,000 known species of flowering plants in 43 genera, distributed worldwide.

<i>Ranunculus</i> Genus of flowering plants in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae

Ranunculus is a large genus of about almost 1700 to more than 1800 species of flowering plants in the family Ranunculaceae. Members of the genus are known as buttercups, spearworts and water crowfoots.

<i>Ranunculus repens</i> Species of plant in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae

Ranunculus repens, the creeping buttercup, is a flowering plant in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae, native to Europe, Asia and northwestern Africa. It is also called creeping crowfoot and sitfast.

Celandine is a common name for three species of flowers:

Pilewort is a common name for plants that were traditionally used to treat piles.(hemorrhoids) This herb was more commonly used throughout the Tudor period in England. Pilewort may refer to

<i>Ranunculus bulbosus</i> Species of flowering plant in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae

Ranunculus bulbosus, commonly known as bulbous buttercup or St. Anthony's turnip, is a perennial flowering plant in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae. It has bright yellow flowers, and deeply divided, three-lobed long-petioled basal leaves.

<i>Ranunculus acris</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Ranunculaceae

Ranunculus acris is a species of flowering plant in the family Ranunculaceae, and is one of the more common buttercups across Europe and temperate Eurasia. Common names include meadow buttercup, tall buttercup, common buttercup and giant buttercup.

<i>Ranunculus arvensis</i> Species of flowering plant

Ranunculus arvensis, the corn buttercup or field buttercup, is a plant species in the family Ranunculaceae. Native to Europe, it can be found on other continents as an introduced species and sometimes a weed, including in North America and Australia. It was formerly a common annual arable weed in Britain, but is now rare there. It is most often found in moist places, such as spring puddles in meadows.

<i>Ranunculus flammula</i> Species of flowering plant

Ranunculus flammula, the lesser spearwort, greater creeping spearwort or banewort, is a species of perennial herbaceous plants in the genus Ranunculus (buttercup), growing in damp places throughout the Boreal Kingdom. It flowers June/July. Ranunculus flammula is poisonous. It is very closely related to R. reptans, which is distinguished by prostrate and more slender stems, narrower leaves and smaller flowers and is sometimes included within R. flammula sensu lato as a variety.

<i>Ranunculus aconitifolius</i> Species of flowering plant

Ranunculus aconitifolius, the aconite-leaf buttercup or bachelor's buttons, is a species of flowering plant in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae, native to central Europe. Growing to 60 cm (24 in) high by 40 cm (16 in) broad, this herbaceous perennial has slightly hairy palmate leaves up to 20 cm (8 in) long, and loose panicles of white, saucer-shaped flowers in spring.

Ranunculus allenii, commonly known as Allen's buttercup, is a flowering plant in the crowfoot or buttercup family, Ranunculaceae. Generally found in wetlands in northern latitudes, it bears yellow flowers in summer, which are pollinated by insects.

<i>Ranunculus abortivus</i> Species of flowering plant

Ranunculus abortivus is a species of flowering plant in the buttercup family, Ranunculaceae. Its common names include littleleaf buttercup, small-flower crowfoot, small-flowered buttercup, and kidneyleaf buttercup. It is widespread across much of North America, found in all ten Canadian provinces as well as Yukon and the Northwest Territories, and most of the United States, except Hawaii, Oregon, California, and parts of the Southwest.

<i>Beckwithia</i> (plant) Genus of flowering plants

Beckwithia is a genus of plants of the buttercup family. Most botanists consider it synonymous to a clade consisting of Ranunculus glacialis and Ranunculus andersonii. B. glacialis has several distinct forms that may also be considered subspecies or closely related species. However, molecular studies have supported the placement of B. glacialis and B. camissonis within Ranunculus, distant from B. andersonii.

<i>Ranunculus cortusifolius</i> Species of flowering plant

Ranunculus cortusifolius, also known as the Azores buttercup or Canary buttercup, is a plant species in the genus Ranunculus, family Ranunculaceae, the buttercup or crowfoot family. It grows on moister sites throughout the Azores, Madeira and Canary Islands but is widely cultivated elsewhere as an ornamental. There are reports of it having become naturalized in parts of California.

<i>Ranunculus acaulis</i> Species of flowering plant

Ranunculus acaulis, in Australia and New Zealand called dune buttercup, sand buttercup or shore buttercup, is a yellow-flowered, small, fleshy herb, that grows in mats in damp places mostly near the sea. It occurs naturally in Australia, New Zealand, Chile and the Falklands. It flowers between August and April and sets seed from September till July.

<i>Laccopetalum</i> Species of plant

Laccopetalum is a monotypic genus of flowering plants in the family Ranunculaceae. The genus contains only one species, Laccopetalum giganteum, which is endemic to Peru.

<i>Krapfia</i> Genus of flowering plants

Krapfia is a genus of plants in the family Ranunculaceae, native to the Andes.

References

  1. Hörandl, E.; Paun, O.; Johansson, J.T.; Lehnebach, C.; Armstrong, T.; Chen, L.; Lockhart, P. (2005). "Phylogenetic relationships and evolutionary traits in Ranunculus s.l. (Ranunculaceae) inferred from ITS sequence analysis". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 36 (2): 305–327. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2005.02.009. PMID   15955512.
  2. "ficarius - Wiktionary". en.wiktionary.org. Retrieved 2016-02-12.
  3. Emadzade, K.; Lehnebach, C.; Lockhart, P.; Hörandl, E. (2010). "A molecular phylogeny, morphology and classification of genera of Ranunculeae (Ranunculaceae)". Taxon. 59 (3): 809–828. doi:10.1002/tax.593011.
  4. "Ranunculus". Botanical Dermatology Database. Retrieved October 18, 2013.

Sources