RANUNCULACEAE  

Annual or perennial herbs, tufted, rhizomatous, sometimes aquatic. Stem branched or simple, leafy, sometimes scapose. Leaves alternate, often radical, entire, cordate, peltate, palmately or pinnately compound or pinnatisect. Flowers bisexual, in corymbiform or subpaniculiform cymes or solitary. Sepals 3-5, caducous. Petals as many as or more than sepals, usually yellow or white, with basal, nectariferous pit. Stamens many, shorter than sepals and petals. Carpels many, in several series, each with 1 ascending ovule; stigma often sessile. Fruitlets clustered achenes, each apiculate or rostrate with persistent style, smooth, striate, ribbed, rugose, or spiny; cotyledons 2(1), sometimes strongly fused. x= 7, 8 (6) (high polyploidy, B-chromosomes).

Perennial herbs with erect to horizontal rhizome. Leaves basal, spirally arranged, ternate to triternate, rarely simple; petiole base sheathing; leaflets ovate to trullate, ternately or pinnately incised to simple, lateral leaflets often oblique. Flowers bisexual, in congested cymes resembling compound, irregular umbels, umbel and umbellules surrounded by involucres of compound or simple bracts. Sepals 8-23, quincuncial, white, yellow or green, often tinged pink or wine-red outside, colour, form and hairiness of outer ones differing slightly from inner ones. Petals 0. Stamens many. Carpels many, each with 1 pendulous ovule. Fruitlets clustered drupelets; exocarp coriaceously fleshy; endocarp fibrous. x= 8 (polyploidy).

Perennial, woody climbers or scramblers. Stem scandent, sometimes erect; internodes elongate. Leaves opposite, usually pinnately or ternately compound with petiole and rachis twining. Flowers bisexual or unisexual, in axillary or terminal panicles or sometimes solitary. Sepals 4(5-8), petaloid, valvate. Petals short or 0. Stamens many. Carpels many, each with 1 pendulous ovule; style long, villous. Fruitlets clustered achenes with persistent, feathery styles. x= 8 (6, 13) (high polyploidy).