Ranunculaceae

Template:Short description Template:Automatic taxobox

Ranunculaceae (Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell, buttercup or crowfoot family; Latin Template:Lang "little frog", from Template:Lang "frog") is a family of over 2,000 known species of flowering plants in 43 genera,Template:Sfn distributed worldwide.

The largest genera are Ranunculus (600 species), Delphinium (365), Thalictrum (330), Clematis (380), and Aconitum (300).

Description

Ranunculaceae are mostly herbaceous annuals or perennials, but some are woody climbers (such as Clematis)Template:Sfn or shrubs (e.g. Xanthorhiza).

Most members of the family have bisexual flowers which can be showy or inconspicuous. Flowers are solitary, but are also found aggregated in cymes, panicles, or spikes. The flowers are usually radially symmetrical but are also found to be bilaterally symmetrical in the genera Aconitum and Delphinium.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn The sepals, petals, stamens and carpels are all generally free (not fused), the outer flower segments typically number four or five. The outer stamensTemplate:Efn may be modified to produce only nectar, as in Aquilegia, Helleborus and Delphinium.Template:Sfn

In some genera, such as Thalictrum, the sepals are colorful and appear petal-like (petaloid) and the petals can be inconspicuous or absent.Template:Sfn The stems are unarmed. The leaves are variable. Most species have both basal and cauline (stem) leaves, which are usually compound or lobed but can be simple. They are typically alternate, or occasionally opposite or even whorled. Many species, especially the perennials, form rhizomes that develop new roots each year.<ref name="fna" /> Ficaria verna can reproduce vegetatively by means of root tubers produced in the leaf axils.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn Some members of the genus Thalictrum utilize anemophily while others utilize entomophily.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Flowers of the entomophilous genus Papaver, also of the Ranunculales order, produce only pollen.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Until recently, it was believed that the species of the genus Anemone also lack nectar.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

The fruits are most commonly free, unfused achenes (e.g. Ranunculus, Clematis) or follicles (e.g. Helleborus, Eranthis, Nigella), but a berry in Actaea.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn

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Phytochemistry

Many Ranunculaceae members contain protoanemonin, which is toxic to humans and animals. Contact with plant sap may cause inflammation and blistering of the skin, while ingestion can cause irritation of the mouth, vomiting, and diarrhea.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Toxic alkaloids such as aconitine may also be present in some species such as Aconitum carmichaelii.Template:Cn

Taxonomy

Takhtajan (1997) included the Ranunculaceae as the only family in the Ranunculales which he placed in a subclass, the Ranunculidae, instead of a superorder. Previously, Thorn (1992) placed the Ranunculaceae in the Berberidales, an order within the Superorder Magnolianae. Earlier Cronquist in 1981 included the Ranunculaceae along with seven other families in the Rancunculales which was included in the Magnoliidae, which he regarded as a subclass.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> David, (2010)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> placed the Ranuculaceae, together with the Eupteleaceae, Lardizabalaceae, Menispermaceae, Berberidaceae, and Papaveraceae in the Ranunculales, the only order in the superorder Ranunculanae. This follows the work of the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group.Template:Cn

The family Ranunculaceae sensu stricto is one of seven families included in the order Ranunculales within the eudicots according to the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (APG) classification.Template:Sfn The family is monophyletic with Glaucidium as sister to the remaining genera.Template:Sfn This phylogeny is illustrated in the APG Poster.<ref>Angiosperm Phylogeny poster</ref>

Subdivision

Early subdivisions of the family, such as Michel Adanson (1763), simply divided it based on one-seeded or many-seeded fruit. Prantl (1887) envisaged three tribes, Paeonieae, Helleboreae and Anemoneae with Paeonia, Glaucidium and Hydrastis forming Paeonieae. By the twentieth century Langlet (1932) used chromosome types to create two subfamilies, Ranunculoideae and Thalictroideae. In 1966, Tamura further developed Langlet's system by adding floral characteristics with six subfamilies;Template:Cn

but by 1988 he had reduced Coptidoideae to a tribe within Isopyroideae, leaving five subfamilies, an arrangement he continued in his 1993 monograph, dividing the larger subfamilies into tribes, though by then Paeonia and Glaucidium were no longer considered to belong to Ranunculaceae.Template:Sfn Paeonia was separated from Ranuculaceae and placed in its own family of Paeoniaceae (order Saxifragales). Other genera originally included in Ranunculaceae include Circaeaster, which was placed in its own family Circaeasteraceae.Template:Cn

Tamura's complete system was structured as follows;

Subfamilies and tribes

Subfamily Ranunculoideae Hutch.
- Adonideae Kunth
- Anemoneae DC.
- Ranunculeae DC.
Subfamily Helleboroideae Hutch.
- Helleboreae DC.
- Cimicifugeae Torrey & A.Gray
- Delphineae Schrödinger
- Nigelleae Schrödinger
Subfamily Isopyroideae Tamura
- Coptideae Langlet ex Tamura & K.Kosuge
- Dichocarpeae Tamura & K.Kosuge
- Isopyreae Schrödinger
Subfamily Thalictroideae
Subfamily Hydrastidoideae

The genus Glaucidium, having been moved to its own family (Glaucidiaceae), has since been restored to Ranuculaceae.

Molecular phylogenetics

When subjected to molecular phylogenetic analysis, only Thalictroideae is monophyletic. The position of Glaucidium and some of its unique morphological characteristics prompted Stevens to suggest that it be given subfamilial rank as the monotypic Glaucidioideae. Similarly, Hydrastis has been assigned to subfamily Hydrastidoideae.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn Both genera are represented by a single species, Glaucidium palmatum and Hydrastis canadense respectively.Template:Cn

The relationships between the genera suggest the existence of three major clades corresponding to Coptidoideae, Thalictroideae (clade A) and Ranunculoideae (clade F). The latter is the largest with four subclades (B–E). Of these, C corresponds to Delphineae, D to Cimicifugae and E to Ranunculoideae.Template:Sfn Consequently, Wang and colleagues (2009) proposed a new classification with five subfamilies, and further subdividing Ranunculoideae into ten tribes. The relationship between the subfamilies is shown in the cladogram Template:Cn

In addition to the two monotypic subgenera, Coptoideae has 17 species and Thalictroideae has 450, including Thalictrum and Aquilegia. The other genera (2025 species, 81% of the family) belong to Ranunculoideae. Kingdonia had been included by Tamura in Anemoneae, but is now added to Circaeasteraceae.Template:Cn

In recent years, researchers have used nuclear genes (obtained through transcriptome sequencing technology) to further investigate the phylogenetic relationships of the Ranunculaceae family, and their findings are consistent with those of Wang and colleagues (2009). However, this study indicates that the ancestors of the Ranunculaceae family experienced multiple whole-genome duplication (WGD) events, which may be related to the longstanding prosperity of this ancient group.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Subfamilies of Ranunculaceae (5) and tribes of Ranunculoideae

Glaucidioideae (Tamura) Loconte (1)
Hydrastidoideae Engler (1)
Coptidoideae Tamura (2)
Thalictroideae Raf. (10)
Ranunculoideae Arn. (46)
- Adonideae Kunth
- Delphinieae Schröd.
- Nigelleae Schröd.
- Helleboreae DC.
- Cimicifugeae Torr. and A.Gray
- Caltheae Bercht. and J.Presl
- Asteropyreae W.T.Wang and C. Y.Chang
- Callianthemeae W.Wang and Z. D.Chen
- Anemoneae DC.
- Ranunculeae DC.

Template:Cladogram

Template:Clear

Genera

Ranunculaceae contains approximately 43 genera.Template:Sfn<ref name=tpl/> Template:Div col

Subfamily Glaucidioideae

Glaucidium Siebold & Zuccarini

Subfamily Hydrastidoideae

Hydrastis L.

Subfamily Coptidoideae

Coptis Salisb.
Xanthorhiza Marshall

Subfamily Thalictroideae

Aquilegia L.
Dichocarpum W.T.Wang & P.K.Hsiao
Enemion Rafinesque
Isopyrum L.
Leptopyrum Reichenbach
Paraquilegia J.R.Drumm. & Hutch.
Semiaquilegia Makino
Thalictrum L.
Urophysa Ulbr.

Subfamily Ranunculoideae

Tribe Adonideae

Adonis L.
Calathodes Hook.f. & Thomson
Megaleranthis Ohwi
Trollius L.

Tribe Delphinieae

Aconitum L.
Consolida Gray
Gymnaconitum (Stapf) Wei Wang & Z.D.Chen
Delphinium L.
Staphisagria Hill

Tribe Nigelleae

Nigella L.

Tribe Helleboreae

Helleborus L.

Tribe Cimicifugeae

Actaea L.
Anemonopsis Siebold & Zuccarini
Beesia Balf.f. & W.W.Sm.
Cimicifuga Wernisch.
Eranthis Salisb.

Tribe Caltheae

Caltha L.

Tribe Asteropyreae

Asteropyrum J.R.Drumm. & Hutch.

Tribe Callianthemeae

Callianthemum C.A.Mey.

Tribe Anemoneae

Anemoclema(Franch.) W.T.Wang
AnemonastrumHolub
Anemone L.
Anemonoides Mill.
Clematis L.
Eriocapitella Nakai
Hepatica Mill.
Knowltonia Salisb.
Metanemone W.T.Wang
Naravelia Adans.
Pulsatilla Mill.

Tribe Ranunculeae

Arcteranthis Greene
Beckwithia Jeps.
Callianthemoides Tamura
Ceratocephala Moench
Coptidium (Prantl) Á.Löve & D.Löve ex Tzvelev
Cyrtorhyncha Nutt.
Ficaria Guett.
Halerpestes Greene
Hamadryas Comm. ex Juss.
Krapfia DC.
Kumlienia Greene
Laccopetalum Ulbr.
Myosurus L.
Oxygraphis Bunge
Paroxygraphis W.W.Sm.
Peltocalathos Tamura
Ranunculus L.
Trautvetteria Fisch. & C.A.Mey.

Template:Div col end

Previous genera

Anemonella Spach → Thalictrum
Psychrophila (DC.) Bercht. & J.Presl → Caltha

Fossil record

Contrary to earlier data, there are no confirmed pre-Tertiary ranunculacean fossils.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The Early Cretaceous Leefructus mirus from the Yixian Formation in China was described as belonging to the "compare Family stem lineage to the Ranunculaceae".<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> The oldest confirmed representative of the family is Paleoactaea nagelii Pigg & DeVore described on the basis of fruits coming from the Upper Paleocene of North Dakota.Template:Sfn