Ranunculus sceleratus *Family - Ranunculaceae *English: Cursed Buttercup, Poisonous buttercup, Hindi: Shim, Aglaon, जलधनिया Jaldhaniya

*Botanical name - Ranunculus sceleratus

*Family - Ranunculaceae 

*Location -Babhnan Basti Uttar Pradesh India

*Date- 17-02-2022

English: Cursed Buttercup, Poisonous buttercup, Celery-leaved buttercup, Blister buttercup

Hindi: Shim, Aglaon, जलधनिया Jaldhaniya

Names: Ranunculus sceleratus . The generic name Ranunculus, is from two Latin words, 'rana' meaning ' frog' and 'unculus' meaning 'little' and together they refer to a group of plants, many of which grow in moist places - like little frogs. The species, sceleratus, is Latin for 'cursed' and probably was used to describe this species as it is one of the most dangerous of the genus. See notes below the photos. 'Celery-leaf' comes from the shape of the lower leaves. The family name of Buttercup, used to be "Crowfoot', hence the continuation of the old name in many of the species common names. The author name for the plant classification, 'L.' refers to Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778), Swedish botanist and the developer of the binomial nomenclature of modern taxonomy.

POISONOUS PLANT

Resembles celery so sometimes mistakenly eaten. One of the most toxic buttercup species with the divided leaves causing blistering of the mouth and lips.

Sceleratus translates as vicious as the sap in this plant can cause great discomfort and blistering to human skin. It can also be extremely toxic to livestock.

Leaves are dimorphic submerged leaves are dissected and aerial leaves are entire.

The leaves are both basal and stem, both similar in shape but the upper leaves much smaller. Leaves are kidney shaped with 3 to 5 palmate lobes, ranging from shallow to deep on the basal leaves. The margins of the lobes have large blunt teeth or secondary lobes. Basal leaves and stem leaves are stalked, with the stem leaves, being alternate, and having more slender lobes, whereas smaller leaves are on the flowering stems and are usually sessile with just 3 linear lobes. All leaves are smooth, green and fleshy.

Inflorescence: Flowers are usually solitary and stalked at the tip of stems.

The flowers are 5-parted, about 1/3 inch across, with 3 to 5 (usually 5) yellow petals with rounded tips, 3 to 5 yellow green sepals with triangular tips that are at least as long as the petals, if not slightly longer, but they bend downward. Stamens number 10 to many, have yellow anthers, and surround the green receptacle composed of numerous pistils without styles. The nectaries of the flower are right on the base of the petals. A true corolla is lacking. The central receptacle elongates at maturity as the petals drop away. Sepals are not persistent.

@ Shivam Maddhesiya