Buttercups
Ranunculus /ræˈnʌŋkjʊləs/ is a large genus of about 1700 to more than 1800 species of flowering plants Members of the genus are known as buttercups, spearworts and water crowfoots
The genus is distributed worldwide - in both hemispheres on all continents aside from Antarctica
The familiar and widespread buttercup of gardens throughout Northern Europe (and introduced elsewhere) is the creeping buttercup Ranunculus repens, which has extremely tough and tenacious roots
Buttercups usually flower in the spring, but flowers may be found throughout the summer, especially where the plants are growing as opportunistic colonizers, as in the case of garden weeds
Buttercups are mostly perennial, often with leaves in a rosette at the base of the stem with runners that are sent out that will develop new plants with roots and rosettes at the distanced nodes
The petals of buttercups are often highly lustrous, especially in yellow species, owing to a special coloration mechanism: the petal's upper surface is very smooth causing a mirror-like reflection which aids in attracting pollinating insects and temperature regulation of the flower's reproductive organs
All Ranunculus (buttercup) species are poisonous when eaten fresh, but their acrid taste and the blistering of the mouth caused by their poison means they are usually left uneaten
A popular children's game involves holding a buttercup up to the chin; a yellow reflection is supposed to indicate a fondness for butter
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