Ranunculus – Buttercup etc.

Ranunculus /ræˈnʌŋkjʊləs/is a large genus of about 600 species of plants in the Ranunculaceae. Members of the genus include the buttercups, spearworts, water crowfoots and the lesser celandine.

Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
Order: Ranunculales
Family: Ranunculaceae
Genus: Ranunculus

They are mostly herbaceous perennials with bright yellow or white flowers (if white, still with a yellow centre); some are annuals or biennials. A few species have orange or red flowers. There are usually five petals, but sometimes six, numerous, or none, as in R. auricomus. The petals are often highly lustrous, especially in yellow species. 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.

The Water crowfoots (Ranunculus subgenus Batrachium), which grow in still or running water, are sometimes treated in a separate genus Batrachium (from Greek batrachos βάτραχος: frog, etymology comparable to ranunculus itself). They have two different leaf types, thread-like leaves underwater and broader floating leaves. In some species, such as R. aquatilis, a third, intermediate leaf type occurs.

Ranunculus species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Hebrew Character and Small Angle Shades. Some species are popular ornamental flowers in horticulture, with many cultivars selected for large and brightly coloured flowers

Naming

The name Ranunculus is Late Latin for “little frog,” from rana “frog” and a diminutive ending. This probably refers to many species being found near water, like frogs.

The name buttercup may derive from a false belief that the plants give butter its characteristic yellow hue (in fact it is poisonous to cows and other livestock). A popular children’s game involves holding a buttercup up to the chin; a yellow reflection is supposed to indicate fondness for butter.

In the interior of the Pacific Northwest of the United States the buttercup is called “Coyote’s eyes” — ʔiceyéeyenm sílu in Nez Perce and spilyaynmí áčaš in Sahaptin. In the legend Coyote was tossing his eyes up in the air and catching them again when Eagle snatched them. Unable to see, Coyote made eyes from the buttercup.^{[citation needed]}

Splitting of the genus

Molecular investigation of the genus has revealed that Ranunculus is not monophyletic with respect to a number of other recognized genera in the family – e.g. Ceratocephala, Halerpestes, Hamadryas, Laccopetalum, Myosurus, Oxygraphis, Paroxygraphis and Trautvetteria. A proposal to split Ranunculus into several genera have thus been published in a new classification for the tribe Ranunculeae. The split (and often re-recognized) genera include Arcteranthis Greene, Beckwithia Jeps., Callianthemoides Tamura, Coptidium (Prantl) Beurl. ex Rydb., Cyrtorhyncha Nutt. ex Torr. & A.Gray, Ficaria Guett., Krapfia DC., Kumlienia E.Greene and Peltocalathos Tamura.

Toxicity

All Ranunculus species are poisonous when eaten fresh by cattle, horses, and other livestock, but their acrid taste and the blistering of the mouth caused by their poison means they are usually left uneaten. Poisoning can occur where buttercups are abundant in overgrazed fields where little other edible plant growth is left, and the animals eat them out of desperation. Symptoms include bloody diarrhea, excessive salivation, colic, and severe blistering of the mucous membranes and gastrointestinal tract. When Ranunculus plants are handled, naturally occurring ranunculin is broken down to form protoanemonin, which is known to cause contact dermatitis in humans and care should therefore be exercised in extensive handling of the plants.    The toxins are degraded by drying, so hay containing dried buttercups is safe.

Selected species list

• Ranunculus abortivus – littleleaf buttercup
• Ranunculus aconitifolius – aconite-leaf buttercup
• Ranunculus acraeus – a newly described species from Otago, New Zealand
• Ranunculus acris – meadow buttercup
• Ranunculus alismifolius – plantainleaf buttercup
• Ranunculus andersonii – Anderson’s buttercup
• Ranunculus aquatilis – common water crowfoot
• Ranunculus arvensis – corn buttercup
• Ranunculus asiaticus – Persian buttercup
• Ranunculus auricomus – Goldilocks buttercup (type species)
• Ranunculus biternatus – Antarctic buttercup
• Ranunculus bonariensis – Carter’s buttercup
• Ranunculus bulbosus – bulbous buttercup
• Ranunculus calandrinioides – high alpine buttercup
• Ranunculus californicus – California buttercup
• Ranunculus canus – Sacramento Valley buttercup
• Ranunculus cassubicus – Kashubian buttercup
• Ranunculus crassipes – subantarctic buttercup
• Ranunculus cymbalaria – marsh buttercup
• Ranunculus eschscholtzii – alpine buttercup
• Ranunculus ficaria – lesser celandine
• Ranunculus flabellaris – yellow water buttercup
• Ranunculus flammula – lesser spearwort
• Ranunculus fluitans – river water crowfoot
• Ranunculus glaberrimus – sagebrush buttercup
• Ranunculus glacialis – glacier buttercup
• Ranunculus gormanii – Gorman’s buttercup
• Ranunculus hebecarpus – delicate buttercup
• Ranunculus hispidus – bristly buttercup
• Ranunculus hydrocharoides – frogbit buttercup
• Ranunculus jovis – Utah buttercup
• Ranunculus kadzusensis – makino, maehwamarum
• Ranunculus lapponicus – Lapland buttercup
• Ranunculus lingua – greater spearwort
• Ranunculus lobbii – Lobb’s buttercup
• Ranunculus longirostris – water buttercup
• Ranunculus lyallii – Mount Cook lily, reputedly the largest buttercup
• Ranunculus macounii – Macoun’s buttercup
• Ranunculus micranthus – small-flowered crowfoot
• Ranunculus moseleyi – Moseley’s buttercup
• Ranunculus muricatus – spinyfruit buttercup
• Ranunculus occidentalis – western buttercup
• Ranunculus orthorhynchus – straightbeak buttercup
• Ranunculus papulentus – large river buttercup
• Ranunculus parviflorus – smallflower buttercup
• Ranunculus pedatifidus – birdfoot buttercup
• Ranunculus peltatus – pond water crowfoot
• Ranunculus pensylvanicus – Pennsylvania buttercup
• Ranunculus platanifolius – large white buttercup
• Ranunculus populago – popular buttercup
• Ranunculus pusillus – low spearwort
• Ranunculus pygmaeus – pygmy buttercup
• Ranunculus recurvatus – hooked crowfoot
• Ranunculus repens – creeping buttercup
• Ranunculus rionii – water crowfoot
• Ranunculus sardous – hairy buttercup, Sardinian buttercup
• Ranunculus sceleratus – celery-leaved buttercup
• Ranunculus septentrionalis – swamp buttercup
• Ranunculus sieboldii
• Ranunculus testiculatus – bur buttercup
• Ranunculus thora – Thora buttercup
• Ranunculus trichophyllus Chaix ex Vill. – Thora buttercup
• Ranunculus uncinatus – woodland buttercup

Flax – Perennial, Linum Perenne Lewsii

Perennial, Linum Perenne Lewsii

Flax, is it a flower? Is it a vegetable? Is it medicinal, and therefore, a herb?  It’s all of this, and more!

• Flax is one of those versatile plants that has many uses: As a flower, for health and medicinal use, a grain crop, making fabrics, and much more. Most home gardeners view Flax as one of the very few “True Blue” flowers. To early American Pilgrims, flax was a food staple, put clothes on their back, and for many other uses.
•  Flax originated in India. It has been used for thousands of years. Pilgrims brought Flax to America. They used the seed for food and nutrition, and to make linseed oil. They used the fibers of the long, thin stems to make clothing, linen and lace. It was also used to make rope, twine, and a variety of other items.
•  Today, Flax is largely grown commercially in the U.S. to make Linseed Oil. Home gardeners highly value the real blue color of the flowers. Some home gardeners harvest the seed for consumption, especially in herbal teas.
•  Plants  have clumps of delicate foliage, that give way to true blue flowers in the summer. Grow them in groups for the best effect. They are commonly used as a wildflower. Try them in containers, too.
• Did you Know? Common flax is the national flower of Belarus.
• Plant Height: 18″ – 30″

Medicinal Uses:

The medicinal uses of Flax are broad. It contains Omega-3, a fatty acid that helps fight many diseases. Medicinal uses include:

• Promotes heart health

• Lowers cholesterol

• Protects against strokes

• Lowers blood pressure

• Used for constipation

• Helps guard against breast cancer and other cancers

As a healthy source of food and nutrition, flax seeds:

•  Are used in herbal teas

• Can be ground into a low carb meal for making breads and doughs.

• The oil from the seeds makes linseed oil, and can be used in cooking.

• Sprouts are used in salads

  Planting and Propagation:

• Flax are grown from seeds. Flax seeds can be directly seeded into your flower garden, or seeded indoors for transplanting later. Sow seeds early in the season and cover lightly with 1/8″ of fine garden or potting soil.  Keep soil lightly moist during the germination period.
• Spring sown plants will not bloom until the next year.
• Try sowing seeds early in the  fall, and they will bloom the next spring.
• Ideal plant spacing is 10″ -12″.  The plants tolerate a little crowding.
• Days to Germination: 20 – 30

 How to Grow Flax Plants:

• Grow Flax in full sun. They prefer rich soil. Mix in compost when planting, if your soil is not rich. Keep the soil moist, not wet. Add a general purpose fertilizer when planting them, then once a month after that.
• Flax is easy to grow. As wildflowers, they require little care. In the home garden, mulch around them to help retain soil moisture, and to keep the weeds down. Prune plants to promote good air circulation.
• Be health smart…… After the flowers have bloomed, harvest the seeds and use them for herbal or culinary purposes.
• Flowers Bloom: Spring and Summer

Insect and Disease:

• Flax is susceptible to a wide variety of fungal diseases, blights and rusts.  Pruning plants to increase air circulation, keeping water off the plant, and promoting overall health will help to minimize plant disease. Treat as needed with a fungicide.

Poppy

A Poppy is a flowering plant in the subfamily Papaveroideae of the family Papaveraceae. Poppies are herbaceous plants, often grown for their colourful flowers. One species of poppy, Papaver somniferum produces edible seeds, and is also the source of the crude drug opium which contains powerful medicinal alkaloids such as morphine and has been used since ancient times as analgesic and narcotic medicinal and recreational drugs. Following the trench warfare which took place in the poppy fields of Flanders, during the 1st World War, red poppies have become a symbol of remembrance of soldiers who have died during wartime.

Description

Poppies are herbaceous annual, biennial or short-lived perennial plants. Some species are monocarpic, dying after flowering. Poppies can be over 4 feet tall with flowers up to six inches across. The flowers have 4 to 6 petals, many stamens forming a conspicuous whorl in the centre of the flower and an ovary consisting of from 2 to many fused carpels. The petals are showy, may be of almost any color and some have markings. The petals are crumpled in the bud and as blooming finishes, the petals often lie flat before falling away. Poppies are in full bloom late spring to early summer.^[1] Most species secrete latex when injured. Bees use poppies as a pollen source. The pollen of the oriental poppy, Papaver orientale, is dark blue, that of the field or corn poppy (Papaver rhoeas) is dark green to grey.^[2] The opium poppy, Papaver somniferum, is mainly grown in eastern and southern Asia, and South Eastern Europe. It is believed that it originated in the Mediterranean region ^[3]

Poppies belong to the subfamily Papaveroideae of the family Papaveraceae, which includes the following genera:

• Papaver – Papaver rhoeas, Papaver somniferum, Papaver orientale, Papaver nudicaule
• Eschscholzia – Eschscholzia californica
• Meconopsis – Meconopsis cambrica, Meconopsis napaulensis
• Stylophorum – celandine poppy
• Argemone – prickly poppy
• Romneya – matilija poppy and relatives
• Canbya – pygmy poppy
• Stylomecon – wind poppy
• Arctomecon – desert bearpaw poppy
• Hunnemannia – tulip poppy
• Dendromecon – tree poppy

 

Uses

The flowers of most poppy species are attractive and are widely cultivated as annual or perennial ornamental plants. This has resulted in a number of commercially important cultivars, such as the Shirley poppy, a cultivar of Papaver rhoeas and semi-double or double (flore plena) forms of the opium poppy Papaver somniferum and oriental poppy (Papaver orientale). Poppies of several other genera are also cultivated in gardens. A few species have other uses, principally as sources of drugs and foods. The opium poppy is widely cultivated and its worldwide production is monitored by international agencies. It is used for production of dried latex and opium, the principal precursor of narcotic and analgesic opiates such as morphine, heroin and codeine. Poppy seeds are rich in oil, carbohydrates, calcium, and protein. Poppy oil is often used as cooking oil, salad dressing oil, or in products such as margarine. Poppy oil can also be added to spices for cakes, or breads. Poppy products are also used in different paints, varnishes, and some cosmetics (Jonsson and Krzymanski, 1989).

Symbolism

Poppies have long been used as a symbol of sleep, peace, and death: Sleep because of the opium extracted from them, and death because of the common blood-red color of the red poppy in particular. In Greek and Roman myths, poppies were used as offerings to the dead.^[4] Poppies used as emblems on tombstones symbolize eternal sleep. This symbolism was evoked in the children’s novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, in which a magical poppy field threatened to make the protagonists sleep forever.^[4]

A second interpretation of poppies in Classical mythology is that the bright scarlet colour signifies a promise of resurrection after death.^[5]

The poppy of wartime remembrance is Papaver rhoeas, the red-flowered corn poppy. This poppy is a common weed in Europe and is found in many locations; including Flanders, which is the setting of the famous poem “In Flanders Fields,” by the Canadian surgeon and soldier John McCrae. In Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand, artificial poppies (plastic in Canada, paper in the UK, Australia, South Africa, Malta and New Zealand) are worn to commemorate those who died in war. This form of commemoration is associated with Remembrance Day, which falls on November 11. In Canada, Australia and the UK, poppies are often worn from the beginning of November through to the 11th, or Remembrance Sunday if that falls on a later date. In New Zealand and Australia, soldiers are commemorated on ANZAC day (April 25),^[6] although the poppy is still commonly worn around Remembrance Day. Wearing of poppies has been a custom since 1924 in the United States. Miss Moina Michael of Georgia is credited as the founder of the Memorial Poppy in the United States.^[7][8][9]

Medical uses

Ancient Egyptian doctors would have their patients eat seeds from a poppy to relieve pain. Poppy seeds contain small quantities of both morphine and codeine,^[10] which are pain-relieving drugs that are still used today. Poppy seeds and fixed oils can also be nonnarcotic because when they are harvested the morphine practically disappears from the seeds twenty days after the flower has opened (Jonsson and Krzymanski, 1989).

Other uses

The California poppy, Eschscholzia californica, is the state flower of California.

In Mexico, Grupo Modelo, the makers of Corona beer, used red poppy flowers in most of its advertising images until the 1960s.

A poppy flower is depicted on the reverse of the Macedonian 500 denars banknote, issued in 1996 and 2003.^[11] The poppy is also part of the coat of arms of the Republic of Macedonia.

The powerful symbolism of Papaver rhoeas has been borrowed by various advocacy campaigns, such as the White Poppy and Simon Topping‘s black poppy.

The girl’s given name “Poppy” is taken from the name of the flower.^{[citation needed]}

Poppies (called amapolas in Spanish) are commonly featured as the central flower in Puerto Rican weddings.^{[citation needed]}

Artificial poppies (called “Buddy Poppies”) are used in the veterans’ aid campaign by the Veterans of Foreign Wars, which provides money to the veterans who assemble the poppies and various aid programs to veterans and their families.^[12]

Canada issued special quarters (25-cent coins) with a red poppy on the reverse in 2004, 2008 and 2010. The 2004 Canadian “poppy” quarter was the world’s first coloured circulation coin.^[13]

Forget Me Not

Forget-me-not refers to the plants of the genus Myosotis. This genus comes under the family Boraginaceae. There are roughly 50 species within this genus. There exists variation within the genus. However, one similarity that can be noticed is that most of the members of this species have flat blue flowers with five petals growing thickly on stems. They grow in a slightly disorderly fashion.

A legend about the origin of the name forget-me-not is as follows. Once a medieval knight and his lady-love were walking beside a river. The knight held a bouquet in his hands. Because of the weight of the armor, he fell into the water. According to the legend, he threw the bouquet at her shouting forget-me-not. There is a Christian religious legend according to which the child Jesus Christ created forget-me-nots so that the generations to come would be able to see him and his mother Mary, on whose lap he was sitting.

Scientific Classification

Kingdom

Plantae

Division

Magnoliophyta

Class

Magnoliopsida

Order

not currently assigned (incertae sedis)

Family

Boraginaceae

Genus

Myosotis

Facts about forget-me-not

• Forget-me-nots flower in spring.
• A large number of species that come under the forget-me-not category are native to New Zealand.
• A few European Species were introduced in the temperate regions of America, Asia, and Europe.
• Forget-me-not is the state flower of the American state of Alaska.
• Forget me not plants can be annual, in the sense that their life last for one year or it can be perennial, in the sense that their life – namely, germination, flowering, and death take more than two years.

How to Grow Forget-Me-Not

• Plant the seeds in early spring. The ground should be made ready for the forget me not seeds to be planted.
• The preparation should be done by mixing the soil with decomposed organic material (compost) because the plants grow best in such soil.
• While planting seedlings, you do not have to be particularly careful about maintaining some distance between them because forget me nots grow well even if there is a crowd.
• Trim the blooms that are wasted away in order to guard against reseeding.
• When plants begin to wear away in late summer, remove them.

Violet

Violets (Viola) are a genus of Spring flowering plants in the family Violaceae. There are around 400-500 species of Violets in the genus. Violets are native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere and are also distributed in Hawaii, Australasia, and the Andes in South America. Violets are found in moist and slightly shaded conditions such as hedgerows.

The word ‘Violet’ comes from the Latin name ‘Viola’. Ordinary Violets, Common Blue Violets, Sweet violets and Garden violets are some of the popular varieties of violets. Most Violets are small perennial plants, but a few are annual plants and some are small shrubs.

Kingdom

Plantae

Division

Magnoliophyta

Class

Magnoliopsida

Order

Malpighiales

Family

Violaceae

Genus

Viola

Violets typically have heart-shaped leaves, and asymmetrical flowers. The shape of the petals defines many species, for example, some Violets have a spur at the end of each petal. Flower colors vary among the Violets, many of which are violet as their name suggests, and some are blue, yellow, white and cream. Some are bicolored, often blue and yellow.

Facts about Violets

• True Violets have been known for centuries with the ancient Greeks cultivating them about 500 BC or earlier. Both the Greeks and the Romans used Violets for all sorts of things such as herbal remedies, wine (‘Vinum Violatum’), to sweeten food and for festivals.
• Strictly, Sweet violets, Bedding Violas and Pansies are all classified as “violas”. Sweet Violets descended from the European wild sweet violet, Viola odorata. Bedding Violas (the flower that we usually call “violas”) were hybridized from pansies and Viola cornuta. Pansies developed from the wild violas, Viola lutea and Viola tricolor (“johnny-jump-up”).
• Violets are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species.
• Crossings of a number of plants were developed and these were known as the ‘Quatre saisons’ violets. Along with the so-called ‘Russian Violet’ introduced in the latter part of the 19th century, these horticultural efforts gave us the Violets we grow today.
• The Blue violet is common to the United States, growing from Maine to Florida.
• The Ancient Greeks considered the Violet a symbol of fertility and love; they used it in love potions. Pliny recommended that a garland of violets be worn above the head to ward off headaches and dizzy spells.
• The genus includes the Dog Violets, a group of scentless species which are the commonest violets in many areas; the Sweet Violet, Viola odorata (named from its sweet scent) and many other species whose common name includes the word “Violet”. Several species are known as Pansies.
• The purple violet/Wood Violet/ blue prairie Violet/Prairie blue Violet/hooded blue Violet/meadow blue Violet/and butterfly Violet, is very popular in the eastern United States and is Wisconsin’s State Flower.
• Violets should not be taken internally in large doses. Violet flowers are edible, used in medicines, as a laxative, and the flowers are candied for decoration in jellies, etc.

True Violets

Saintpaulia is a genus comprising African violets, which are not true Violets. The main differences between African Violets and True violets are:

• African violets are mainly grown as houseplants. They are shallow rooting plants that enjoy a good amount of light as long as it is in the shade. True violets are deep-rooting outdoor plants that thrive in partial shade to full sun.
• African violets have fleshy downy leaves and produce throughout the summer, five-petalled flowers, usually with a distinct eye while true violets have large to small heart shaped leaves, sometimes smooth, sometimes with varying degrees of hairiness. The flowers are produced from September through to March and most, apart from the Parma Violets, which are frost tolerant.

 

Varieties of Violets

• Viola arvensis – Field Pansy
• Viola biflora – Yellow Wood Violet or Twoflower Violet
• Viola canina – Heath Dog Violet
• Viola hirta – Hairy Violet
• Viola odorata – Sweet Violet
• Viola pedunculata – Yellow Pansy
• Viola riviniana – Common Dog Violet
• Viola tricolor – Wild Pansy or Heart’s-ease
• Viola adunca – Early Blue Violet
• Viola nephrophylla – Northern Bog Violet
• Viola pedatifida – Crowfoot Violet
• Viola pubescens – Downy Yellow Violet
• Viola rugulosa – Western Canada Violet

Growing Violets

Violets are easily cultivated through root cuttings or seeds.

• Violets are best grown in the dappled shade of deciduous trees thus allowing full winter and spring sunshine.
• Choose a site with full sun to light shade. Violets also like well-drained, fairly rich soil, so work in a spadeful or two of compost at planting time for best results.
• Plant Violets in early spring, four to six weeks before your region’s last frost date.
• Plant 4 to 8 inches apart, depending on the variety.
• Mulch to keep roots cooler longer.
• Water only moderately. Although they love cool conditions, Violets don’t need huge amounts of water.
• Pinch off spent blooms to promote longer flowering.
• Fertilize once after blooming starts.

Violet Plant Care

Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and plant them out in summer. Violets should receive extra moisture in dry weather, as Red Spider Mite is liable to attack if they are allowed to get parched. Spraying with a hose is helpful. Occasional feeding with soot water or liquid manure and even a top dressing of blood or bone is helpful for good blooms.

Division during the autumn or just after flowering. Larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions, though it is best to pot up smaller divisions and grow them in light shade in a greenhouse or cold frame until they are growing away well. Keep runners picked off during the growing season. This will encourage good sized flowers.