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Key to families | Table of families and genera

This text currently parallels The Jepson Manual: Vascular Plants of California, Second Edition that is now available at the University of California Press.

Text appearing in blue on this page will not appear in the printed book; it will be displayed only on the Web. Specimen numbers are hyperlinked to records in the Consortium of California Herbaria data view where possible. Taxa are hyperlinked to entries in the Jepson Interchange via the "[Online Interchange]" link.

 

RANUNCULACEAE BUTTERCUP FAMILY

Margriet Wetherwax & Dieter H. Wilken, family description, key to genera


Annual, perennial herb, woody vine [ shrub], occasionally aquatic.
Leaf: generally basal and cauline, alternate or opposite, simple or compound; petioles at base generally flat, occasionally sheathing or stipule-like.
Inflorescence: cyme, raceme, panicle, or flowers 1.
Flower: generally bisexual, generally radial; sepals 3–6(20), free, early- deciduous or withering in fruit, generally green; petals 0–many, generally free; stamens generally 5–many, staminodes generally 0; pistils 1–many, ovary superior, chamber 1, style 0–1, generally ± persistent as beak, ovules 1–many.
Fruit: achene, follicle, berry, ± utricle in Trautvetteria, in aggregate or not, 1–many-seeded.
± 60 genera, 1700 species: worldwide, especially n temperate, tropical mountains; many ornamental (Adonis, Aquilegia, Clematis, Consolida, Delphinium, Helleborus, Nigella). some highly TOXIC (Aconitum, Actaea, Delphinium, Ranunculus). [Whittemore & Parfitt 1997 FNANM 3:85–271] Taxa of Isopyrum in TJM (1993) moved to Enemion; Kumlienia moved to Ranunculus. —Scientific Editors: Douglas H. Goldman, Bruce G. Baldwin.

Key to Ranunculaceae

1. Fl bilateral; sepals petal-like, not alike, uppermost spurred or hooded, generally > others

2. Uppermost sepal hooded, not spurred, enclosing petals, stamens ..... ACONITUM

2' Uppermost sepal spurred, ± flat or curved but not hooded, generally not enclosing petals, stamens

3. Annual, generally from taproot; petals 2, fused; pistil 1 ..... CONSOLIDA

3' Perennial, generally from ± fibrous or fleshy roots; petals 4, free; pistils 3(5) ..... DELPHINIUM

1' Fl radial; sepals petal-like or not, ± alike

4. Sepal spurs present, petal spurs 0; plant generally tufted; leaves basal, simple, linear ..... MYOSURUS

4' Sepal spurs 0, petal spurs occasionally; plant not tufted; leaves generally basal and cauline, generally dissected or compound (or basal, simple, lanceolate to reniform)

5. Pistils 1; fruit a berry ..... ACTAEA

5' Pistils (1)2–many; fruit achene or follicle (± utricle in Trautvetteria)

6. Ovules >= 2 per ovary; fruit follicle

7. Petals spurred ..... AQUILEGIA

7' Petals 0 or not spurred

8. Lf simple ..... CALTHA

8' Lf compound

9. Plant from slender rhizomes or stolons, scapose; sepals 5–8, linear; petals 5–7 ..... COPTIS

9' Plant from clustered, slender to fusiform or ± spheric fleshy roots, not scapose; sepals generally 5, oblong to obovate; petals 0 ..... ENEMION

6' Ovule 1 per ovary; fruit achene (± utricle in Trautvetteria)

10. Cauline leaves generally opposite or 0 but involucre bracts leaf-like, generally in 1–2 whorls of 2–5

11. Plant perennial herb, not vine; basal leaves present, cauline 0 but involucre bracts leaf-like, generally in 1–2 whorls of 2–5; inflorescence terminal; sepals 5–10 ..... ANEMONE

11' Plant ± woody vine; basal leaves 0, cauline generally many, opposite; inflorescence axillary; sepals generally 4 ..... CLEMATIS

10' Cauline leaves alternate or 0

12. Perianth parts in 2 whorls; sepals generally green to ± yellow, not petal-like; petals 3–many, yellow to orange, occasionally white or purple

13. Anthers ± purple; petals yellow to orange, base ± purple, nectaries 0 ..... ADONIS

13' Anthers yellow; petals generally yellow, occasionally white or purple, nectaries near base ..... RANUNCULUS

12' Perianth parts in ± 1 whorl (inner << outer, gland-like in Ranunculus hystriculus); sepals generally green to white or ± purple, petal-like or not; petals generally 0

14. Lf compound, leaflets entire, crenate, or lobed; flower unisexual or bisexual ..... THALICTRUM

14' Lf simple, crenate to deeply lobed; flower bisexual

15. Lf crenate to palmately lobed, lobes rounded to obtuse, entire to toothed or lobed; inflorescence scapose, flowers 1(3); sepals 6–13 mm, blade ± flat; petals 2–4 mm, gland-like ..... Ranunculus hystriculus

15' Lf deeply palmately lobed, lobes ± wedge-shaped, toothed distally; inflorescence not scapose, flowers >= 5 in terminal panicle; sepals 2.5–6 mm, blade cup-like; petals 0 ..... TRAUTVETTERIA

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