ranunculaceous
Ranunculaceous is the botanical adjective referring to the Ranunculaceae, the buttercup family. This family encompasses about 60 genera and around 1,700 species of flowering plants, distributed worldwide with greatest diversity in temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Members range from herbaceous perennials to climbers, and a few shrubs in genera such as Clematis. The family includes several popular ornamentals, such as Ranunculus (buttercups), Anemone, Aquilegia (columbines), Clematis, Helleborus (hellebore), Thalictrum (meadow-rue), and Nigella (love-in-a-mist).
Characteristic features vary, but most ranunculaceous plants have alternate leaves that are often lobed or dissected.
Systematics and distribution: Ranunculaceae belongs to the order Ranunculales within the basal eudicots, reflecting considerable morphological