Ranunculaceae (buttercup or crowfoot family)

Overview • World: 60 genera, 1700 spp. • CA: 16 genera, 90 spp.

• Worldwide, but mostly temperate

• Mostly herbaceous*

• Common in wet areas (ranunculus: L. “little frog”)*

• Some: Continuous whorls of unfused sepals, petals, stamens, pistils – representative of primitive flowers. (wet areas + primitive characteristics = support for Paleoherb Hypothesis?)*

• Commonly toxic (ranunculin, aconitine)...*

…herbaceous + wet habitat= vulnerable to herbivory!

Ranunculaceae (buttercup or crowfoot family)

Representative genera • Ranunculus (buttercup)* • Delphinium (larkspur)* • Aconitum (wolfsbane, monkshood) • Aquilegia (columbine)* • Clematis (clematis)*

Ranunculus californicus (CA buttercup)

Delphinium parryi Aquilegia formosa Clematis lasiantha (chaparral clematis)

Aconitum spp. the culprits?

Ranunculaceae (buttercup or crowfoot family)

Habit • Mostly herbaceous* • Some lianas (Clematis spp.)* • Rarely, subshrub (Xanthorhiza)

Xanthorhiza simplicissima (yellowroot) Clematis sp.

Ranunculus cymbalaria (alkali/seaside buttercup)

Leaves • Alternate or opposite (opp. in Clematis) • Simple or compound, often 3-lobed* • Estipulate • Basal or cauline

Flowers • Gen bisexual • Gen radial, but can be bilateral

Calyx: • Sepals 3-6(20), free

Corolla: • Petals 0-many, often 5, free/separate • Some petals with nectaries* Spurs (e.g., Delphinium, Aquilegia, Aconitum)* “Flaps” at base (e.g., Ranunculus)*

Androecium: • stamens gen 5-many (know that there can be many)*

Gynoecium: • Pistils 1-many (know that there can be many)* • Ovary(-ies) superior • Each pistil has 1 superior ovary w/ one chamber (”locule”)

Delphinium parryi Aquilegia formosa

Fruits • Follicles • Achenes

Follicles of Delphinium sp. Follicles of Aquilegia sp. Achenes of Clematis sp.

Ranunculus californicus, achenes in background.

Some species we might see…

Representative genera • Ranunculus (buttercup)* • Delphinium (larkspur)* • Aquilegia (columbine)* • Clematis (clematis)*

Ranunculus californicus (CA buttercup)

Delphinium parryi Aquilegia formosa Clematis lasiantha (chaparral clematis)

Clematis lasiantha (chaparral clematis/virgin’s bower)

Some species we might see…

Worth noting: • Unisexual flowers • dioecious • Petals = 0!

♀ ♂

Papaveraceae (poppy family)

Overview • World: 40 genera, 400 spp. • CA: 12 genera, 27 spp.

• Mostly herbaceous*

…but Dendromecon is a shrub*

• Some plants with latex* (e.g., Papaver) some without

(e.g., Eschscholzia)

Papaveraceae (poppy family)

Representative genera • Papaver (poppies)* • Eschscholzia (CA poppy)* • Romneya (Matilija poppy)* • Dendromecon (bush poppy)*

Papaveraceae (poppy family)

Eschscholzia californica

Papaver somnifera

Romneya coulteri

Dendromecon rigida

Leaves • Alternate or opposite • Often deeply dissected* • Estipulate • Basal or cauline

Flowers • Bisexual • Gen radial

Calyx: • Sepals 2-3 (half the # of petals), deciduous*

Corolla: • Petals 4-6 (2x # of sepals), free*

Androecium: • Stamens gen many*

Gynoecium: • 1 superior ovary • Few-many ovules Fruit

• Capsule*

Eschscholzia californica (CA poppy, golden poppy)

Eschscholzia caespitosa (collarless poppy, tufted poppy)

Some species we might see…

Papaver californicum (fire poppy)

Papaver heterophyllum (formerly Stylomecon heterophylla) (wind poppy)

Romneya coulteri (Matilija poppy, fried egg plant) Papaveraceae

Dendromecon rigida (bush poppy, tree poppy)

Papaver somnifera (opium poppy)

A brief history of the opium poppy…

Papaver somnifera (opium poppy)

morphine

Raw opium

Sumerians • Settled Mesopotamia 4000-3000 BC • Poppy cultivation from ~3500 BC • Referred to opium poppy as jul gil – “joy plant”

Egyptians • Cultivate opium poppy in great fields (Thebes) by ~ 1300 BC

Chinese opium dens of the 1800’s

Arabic surgeon circa 1200-1300 AD, using spongia somnifera, (anesthetic sponge) – an apparent precursor to modern anesthesia

Conium maculatum (poison hemlock)

65 mg of morphine per fluid ounce!

Bayer Pharmaceutical Heroin: on market from 1898 - late 1920’s/30’s

Papaveraceae (poppy family)

1. something that is made of many parts and yet is somehow more/different from the combination of its parts 2. the general quality or character of something

Gestalt