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ranunculus

British  
/ rəˈnʌŋkjʊləs /

noun

  1. any ranunculaceous plant of the genus Ranunculus , having finely divided leaves and typically yellow five-petalled flowers. The genus includes buttercup, crowfoot, spearwort, and lesser celandine

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of ranunculus

C16: from Latin: tadpole, from rāna a frog

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

In my home garden, Arum italicum, Euphorbia cyparissus and Ranunculus ficaria, once purchased as desirable perennials, now run roughshod through less competitive plantings.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 6, 2024

Ranunculus are hardy to 26 degrees and begin growing a bit later, when the garden warms up to 50 degrees.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 27, 2024

Pods 9 or more, sessile, many-seeded.—Smooth perennials with palmately parted and cut leaves, like Ranunculus, and large solitary terminal flowers.

From The Manual of the Botany of the Northern United States Including the District East of the Mississippi and North of North Carolina and Tennessee by Gray, Asa

So "Ranunculus acris, L.," means that this Buttercup was first so named and described by Linn�us; "R. multifidus, Pursh," that this species was so named and published by Pursh.

From The Elements of Botany For Beginners and For Schools by Gray, Asa

Roots thickened; plants of dry woods or thickets Buttercup, Ranunculus hispidus. 28a.

From The Plants of Michigan Simple Keys for the Identification of the Native Seed Plants of the State by Gleason, Henry Allan

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