Семейство Лютиковые (Ranunculaceae)

Family of eudicot flowering plants

Ranunculaceae (/r//@//n//V//ng//k//j//u://'//l//eI//s//i//%//aI//, // //s//i://%//i:/, buttercup or crowfoot family; Latin rānunculus "little frog", from rāna "frog") is a family of over 2,000 known species of flowering plants in 43 genera, distributed worldwide. The largest genera are Ranunculus (600 species), Delphinium (365), Thalictrum (330), Clematis (380), and Aconitum (300).

Ranunculaceae are mostly herbaceous annuals or perennials, but some are woody climbers (such as Clematis) 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. The sepals, petals, stamens and carpels are all generally free (not fused), the outer flower segments typically number four or five. The outer stamensefn|In the Ranunculaceae, a variety of terms are used to describe the whorl of structures between the sepals and stamens, including honey leaves, petals, staminodes or nectaries Flowers of the entomophilous genus Papaver, also of the Ranunculales order, produce only pollen. Until recently, it was believed that the species of the genus Anemone also lack nectar. The fruits are most commonly free, unfused achenes (e. g. Ranunculus, Clematis) or follicles (e. g. Helleborus, Eranthis, Nigella), but a berry in Actaea.

Ranunculaceae 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. Other poisonous or toxic compounds, alkaloids and glycosides, are also common.

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. David, (2010) 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. 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. The family is monophyletic with Glaucidium as sister to the remaining genera. This phylogeny is illustrated in the APG Poster.

Ranunculaceae contains approximately 43 genera. The Early Cretaceous Leefructus mirus from the Yixian Formation in China was described as belonging to the "compare Family stem lineage to the Ranunculaceae". 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.

Some Ranunculaceae are used as herbal medicines because of their alkaloids and glycosides, such as Hydrastis canadensis (goldenseal), whose root is used as a tonic. More than 30 species are used in homeopathy, including Aconitum napellus, Actaea racemosa, Clematis recta, Clematis virginiana, Hydrastis canadensis, Ranunculus bulbosus, Helleborus niger, Delphinium staphisagria, Pulsatilla nigricans. Many genera are well known as cultivated flowers, such as Aconitum (monkshood), Clematis, Consolida (larkspur), Delphinium, Helleborus (Christmas rose), Trollius (globeflower). The seeds of Nigella sativa are used as a spice in Indian and Middle Eastern cuisine.