Ranunculaceae
A natural order of herbs, rarely shrubs or woody climbers, dispersed over nearly the whole of the globe. Flowers regular or rarely irregular, hermaphrodite or by abortion dioecious; inflorescence usually terminal, racemose or paniculate; sepals three to many, usually five, hypogynous, free, commonly petaloid and deciduous, imbricated or valvate; petals as many as the sepals, or numerous, sometimes flat and conspicuous, sometimes small, deformed, or even absent, imbricated; stamens usually numerous and manyseriate, hypogynous, free; anther connectives continuous with the flaments; carpels many or rarely solitary, free or rarely sub-connate. Fruit of pointed or feathery achenes, or of follicles, which are rarely united into a capsule. Leaves radical or alternate (in Clematideoe opposite) entire or palmately or sub-pinnately dissected; petioles often dilated, amplexicaul or rarely furnished with stipuliform appendages. Most of the Ranunculaceae possess acrid, and more or less poisonous, but nevertheless volatile, properties. The juice of the leaves of Clematis Vitalba is employed by beggars for producing artificial sores. Several species of Helleborus possess purgative and poisonous properties. The narcotic and poisonous characters of the Aconites are well-known. The order comprises thirty genera, and upwards of 1200 species have been described, many of which are highly ornamental garden plants. Examples: Aconitum, Anemone, Clematis, Delphinium, Poeonia, and Ranunculus.