Herbs, annual or perennial, erect or stoloniferous, rarely shrubs or woody climbers.
Leaves basal and cauline, alternate, rarely opposite, entire or palmately, ternately or
Pinnately dissected, sometimes compound, always exstipulate or petioles sometimes
broadened into stipule-like auricles at base, very rarely free; leaf-bases often sheathing.
Inflorescence 1-flowered, cymose, racemose, thyrsoid or paniculate. Flowers actinomorphic or zygomorphic, bisexual or unisexual; plants monoecious, polygamous or very
rarely dioecious; all parts hypogynous. Sepals (3-) 5 (-8), mostly 5, free, sometimes showy
and petaloid; uppermost sepal sometimes concave, boat-shaped or helmet-shaped,
rarely spurred. Petals 5 (0 - 12) or more, free, in some funnel-shaped or sometimes
spurred and often with subbasal nectar glands, sometimes with honey-scales or honey-leaves between perianth and stamens. Stamens usually many, rarely 8 - 20, spirally
arranged, free, rarely outer staminodal and petaloid; anthers small, basifixed, extrorse or introrse, dehiscing longitudinally by slits. Carpels 1-many, spirally arranged, rarely
few and whorled, free or sometimes shortly connate at base, unilocular; style short or
elongated; stigma simple, sessile or decurrent ventrally on style; ovule solitary and basal,
or few to many and marginal, erect or pendulous, anatropous, 1- to 2-tegmic, crassinucellar or tenuinucellar. Fruits aggregate of 1-seeded indehiscent achenes or few to
many-seeded follicles, dehiscing along dorsal suture, rarely capsule-like (Nigella) or a
berry(Actaea). Seeds small; endosperm copious, fleshy; embryo minute, rounded 'or
linear; cotyledons undifferentiated.
Mostly in N. temperate and alpine regions, some in subtropical or tropical areas; ca
50 genera and 1900 species, 28 genera and 191 species in India.
Literature.
BRUEHL, P. (1892) Die Ranunrulaceis Indicis disputationes. J. Asiat. Soc. Bengal n.s.
2. 61: 270 -
324. DE CANDOLLE, A. P. (1824) Monographie: Memoire sur la familie des Ranunculacees.
Prodr. Syst. Nat. 1: 2.66. HANDEL-MAZZETTI, H. (1939) Plantae Sinensis 33: Ranunculaceae. Acta
Hort. Gotob. 13: 37 -
219. LAUENER, L A. (1978 & 1980) The typification of Royle's Ranunculaceae.
Notes R. Bot. Gard. Edinb. 36: 127 - 137 & 38: 125 - 128. OKADA, H. & M. TAMURA (1979)
Karyomorphology and relationship on the Ranunculaceae. J.
Jap. Bot. 54: 65 - 77. SANIlSUK, T. (1979)
A polynological study of the tribe Ranunculeae (Ranunculaceae). Opeca Bot. 48: 1 - 74. ZlMAN, S. N. &
C. S. KEENER (1989) A geographical analysis of the family Ranunculaceae. Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. 76:
1012 - 1049.
KEY TO THE GENERA
1 a. Plants woody, erect or climbing; leaves opposite
2
b. Plants herbaceous, erect, rarely climbing or creeping; leaves in basal rosette and/or alternate along
the stem
3
2 a. Plants climbing by means of twining petioles; terminal leaflet normal; petals absent