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''Ranunculus'' 〔''Sunset Western Garden Book,'' 1995:606–607〕 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. 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 βάτραχος ''batrachos'', "frog"). 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," the diminutive of ''rana''. 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.〔Roadside Plants and Flowers: A Traveler's Guide to the Midwest and Great Lakes Area : With a Few Familiar Off-Road Wildflowers, North Coast Bks, Marian S. Edsall, Univ of Wisconsin Press, 1985 ISBN 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Ranunculus」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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