Everything about Buttercup totally explained
Ranunculus is a large
genus of about 400
species of
plants in the
Ranunculaceae. It includes the
buttercups,
spearworts,
water crowfoots and the
lesser celandine (but not the
greater celandine of the
poppy family
Papaveraceae).
They are mostly
herbaceous perennials with bright yellow or white
flowers (if white, still with a yellow centre); some are
annuals or
biennials. A few have orange or red flowers and occasionally, as in
R. auricomus, petals may be absent. The petals are often highly, especially in yellow species.
The Water crowfoots (
Ranunculus subgenus
Batrachium), which grow in still or running water, are sometimes treated in a separate genus
Batrachium. They have two different leaf types, thread-like leaves underwater and broader floating leaves although for some species, such as
R. aquatilis, a third, intermediate leaf form occurs.
Buttercups usually flower in April or May but flowers may be found throughout the summer especially where the plants are growing as opportunistic colonisers, as in the case of garden weeds.
All
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're 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 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 and care should therefore be exercised in excessive handling of the plants
(External Link
). The toxins are degraded by drying, so
hay containing dried buttercups is safe.
Ranunculus species are used as food plants by the
larvae of some
Lepidoptera species including
Hebrew Character and
Small Angle Shades.
Some species are popular ornamental flowers in
horticulture, with many
cultivars selected for large and brightly coloured flowers.
In the interior of the Pacific Northwest of the United States the buttercup is called ‘Coyote’s eyes’ —
iceyéeyenm sílu in
Nez Perce and
spilyaynmí áčaš in
Sahaptin. In the legend Coyote was tossing his eyes up in the air and catching them again when Eagle snatched them. Unable to see, Coyote made eyes from the buttercup.
Partial species list
Sardonic
The term
sardonic (sardanios) "bitter or scornful laughter", which is often cited as deriving from the Sardinian plant (
Ranunculus sardous), known as either
σαρδάνη (sardanē) or
σαρδόνιον (sardonion). When eaten, it would cause the eater's face to contort in a look resembling scorn (generally followed by death). It might also be related to
σαίρω (sairō) "I grin".
Further Information
Get more info on 'Buttercup'.
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