Tag: Ranunculaceae

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Ranunculus pennsylvanicus

Botanical Name : Ranunculus pennsylvanicus
Family: Ranunculaceae
Genus: Ranunculus
Species: R. pensylvanicus
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Ranunculales

Synonyms : Ranunculus pensylvanicus

Common Names:Pennsylvania Buttercup, Bristly Buttercup,Bristly Crowfoot

Habitat : Ranunculus pennsylvanicus   is native to Northern N. America – Labrador to Alaska and south to Colorado. It grows  in  the   wet meadows, alluvium, ditches etc. Stream banks, bogs, moist clearings, depressions in woodlands from sea level to 1700 metres

Description:
Ranunculus pennsylvanicus is an    annual/perennial   herbs, or woody climbers  growing to 1 m (3ft 3in) with acrid  sap.  Leaves usually alternate, sometimes opposite; simple or compound, with clasping or dilated base; stipules none. Flowers    hypogynous, actinomorphic or sometimes zygomorphic, bisporangiate or occasionally monosporangiate; perianth of similar
segments or differentiated into calyx and corolla; capels usually  separate; stamens numerous. Fruit an achene, follicle or berry. It is in flower from Jun to August. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects.

CLICK &  SEE  THE  PICTURES

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils.The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils..It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade.It requires moist or wet soil.

Cultivation:
We have very little information on this species and do not know if it will be hardy in Britain, though judging by its native range it should succeed outdoors in most areas of the country. The following notes are based on the general needs of the genus. Prefers a moist loamy soil. A greedy plant, inhibiting the growth of nearby plants, especially legumes.

Propagation :
Seed – sow spring in a cold frame. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in the summer.

Edible Uses: Leaves – cooked. The leaves contain toxins but in too low a concentration to be harmful.

Medicinal Uses:The plant is rubefacient. It is used to raise blisters

Other Uses :
The entire plant can be boiled to yield a red dye. It is mixed with the bark of bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa) which acts to fix the colour. The entire plant can be boiled with rushes (Juncus spp) or flags (Iris spp and Acorus calamus) to colour them yellow for use in making mats, baskets etc.

Known Hazards : Although no specific record of toxicity has been found for this plant, many if not all members of this genus are poisonous. These toxins can be destroyed by heat or by drying. Many if not all plants in this genus also have a strongly acrid juice that can cause blistering to the skin.

Disclaimer:
The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplements, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.

Resources:
https://www.kb.osu.edu/dspace/bitstream/handle/1811/1936/V17N04_106.pdf?sequence=1
http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Ranunculus%20pennsylvanicus
http://www.herbnet.com/Herb%20Uses_AB.htm
http://www.wnmu.edu/academic/nspages/gilaflora/ranunculus_pennsylvanicus.html

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Aconitum falconeri

Biological Name: Aconitum falconeri
Family: Ranunculaceae
Subfamilia: Ranunculoideae
Genus: Aconitum
Species: Aconitum falconeri
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiospermae
Cladus: Eudicots
Ordo: Ranunculales
Tribus: Aconiteae
Other Names: Midhavis, Bis,Vatsnabh, Aconite, Monk’s Hood, Bikh, Meetha-tellia

Habitat : Available in the upper Himalayan region ,mostly grows in and around Nandadevi  hill areas.

Description:

click to see

Medicinal Uses:
It acts as an anti-inflammatory medicine, soothing diabetes symptoms, relieving the organism of excess liquid, preventing disease reappearance and serving as a pain relief. In case of overdose the plant is known to produce poisonous effect, act as a strong sedative and a drug.

You may click to see :New Norditerpenoid Alkaloids from Aconitum falconeri  :

Safety precautions:

WARNING! If not purified appropriately, can be life-threatening. People who have heart problems should not consume root extract. Headache is possible as a side effect. It’s highly recommended that you consult your health-care provider before using this plant. Use with extreme care or better find an alternative.

Disclaimer:
The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplements, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.

Resources:
http://www.oshims.com/herb-directory/a/aconite
http://species.wikimedia.org/wiki/Aconitum_falconeri

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Aconitum Ferox

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Botanical Name:Aconitum ferox
Family: Ranunculaceae
Genus: Aconitum
Species: A. ferox
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Ranunculales

Common Name :Aconitum virorum,Indian Aconite,Bishnag

Syn: Aconitum virosum Don., A. napellus var. rigidum Hook, f & T.
English names: Wolf’s bane, Indian aconite.
Sanskrit names: Vatsanabha, Visa.
Vernacular names: Hin: Bish, Mahoor; Guj and Mar: Vachang; Kas: Mohra; Tam: Vasnumbi; Tel: Vasnabhi.
Trade name: Bish.
Genus : Aconitum
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Ranunculales
Species: A. ferox

Known Hazards:Aconitum ferox is considered the most poisonous plant in the world.   The whole plant is highly toxic – simple skin contact has caused numbness in some people

Habitat : E. Asia – Himalayas.  Shrubberies and forest clearings, 2100 – 3600 metres from C. Nepal to Bhutan.Abundant at Sandakphu, which is the highest point of the Darjeeling Hills in the Indian State of West Bengal.Woodland Garden; Dappled Shade;

Description:
A deciduous perennial that grows up to 1.0 metre tall by 0.5 metres wide and which favours many types of soil. They are handsome plants with the tall and erect stem crowned by racemes of large eye-catching blue, purple, white, yellow or pink zygomorphic flowers with numerous stamens. They are distinguished by having one of the five petaloid sepals (the posterior one), called the galea, in the form of a cylindrical helmet; hence the English name monkshood. There are 2-10 petals, in the form of [nectary|nectaries]. The two upper petals are large. They are placed under the hood of the calyx and are supported on long stalks.

click to see the pictures…..>.…..(01)....(1)..……….(2).…….…(3)..…

It’s roots look like the navel of children; leaves alternate, simple, rounded or oval, may be palmately 5-lobed; flowers borne on branched racemes, bracts and bracteoles present, large helmet-type, helmet vaulted with short sharp beak, pale dirty blue in colour, zygomorphic, floral parts arranged spirally on an elongated receptacle; follicles erect, usually densely villose-sometimes glabrous.

It is hardy to zone 6. It is in flower from August to September. The flowers are pollinated by Bees.
The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and can grow in heavy clay soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil.

Cultivation:
Thrives in most soils and in the light shade of trees. Grows well in heavy clay soils. Prefers a moist soil in sun or semi-shade. Prefers a calcareous soil. Grows well in open woodlands. The root of this plant is widely collected from the wild for medicinal use and is becoming much rarer in much of its range. Members of this genus seem to be immune to the predations of rabbits and deer. A greedy plant, inhibiting the growth of nearby species, especially legumes. Closely related to A. napellus.

Propagation:
Seed – best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame. The seed can be stratified and sown in spring but will then be slow to germinate. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in a cold frame for their first winter. Plant them out in late spring or early summer. Division – best done in spring but it can also be done in autumn. Another report says that division is best carried out in the autumn or late winter because the plants come into growth very early in the year.

Constituents: It is from “Aconitum ferox” that the well known Indian poison bikh, bish, or nabee is produced. It contains large quantities of the alkaloid pseudaconitine, which is a deadly poison. Aconite was often used as an ingredient in the psychoactive drugs prepared by the descendants of Hecate (the Greek goddess of sorcery and witchcraft). It was also used in European witchcraft ointments and has been used by poisoners.
Root: pseudoaconitine (a toxic alkaloid), indactonitine, chasmaconitine, bikhaconitine.

Medicinal Actions &  Uses:-
Alterative; Anaesthetic; Antiarthritic; Deobstruent; Diaphoretic; Diuretic; Sedative; Stimulant.

The dried root is alterative, anaesthetic, antiarthritic, deobstruent, diaphoretic, diuretic, sedative, stimulant. It is best harvested in the autumn as soon as the plant dies down. This is a very poisonous plant and should only be used with extreme caution and under the supervision of a qualified practitioner. It has been used in India and Nepal in the treatment of neuralgia, leprosy, fevers, cholera and rheumatism. When the roots are soaked in cow’s urine, they become soft and lose their depressant action on the heart, becoming a stimulant instead.
Traditional use: AYURVEDA : Root: used in the mrityunjaya rasa (used to treat the fever supposed to be caused by deranged vayu, i.e., wind, sannipatika jvara, i.e., remittent fever, hingulesware-rasa, anandabhairav agnitundi vati, etc.

Vatsanabha has been used in medicine from a very remote period. It is regarded as healing and stimulant. It is used in a great variety of affections, but is specially recommended in fever, cephalagia, affections of throat, dyspepsia and rheumatism. HOMOEOPATHY: remedy for clotting of blood in heart or in lungs, pneumonia, Iymptisis, pleurisy, eye trouble, earache, toothache and urinary trouble.

Modern use: Extremely poisonous; used in leprosy, fever, cholera, nasal catarrah, tonsillitis, sore throat, gastric disorders, debility, etc., also used as a sedative and diaphoretic; applied in the form of paste in cases of neuralgia and rheumatism.

Disclaimer:The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplements, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.

Resources:
http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Aconitum+ferox
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aconitum_ferox
http://earthisours.blogspot.com/2008/05/45-flora-species-face-threat-of.html

http://www.bsienvis.nic.in/medi.htm#Aconitum ferox

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Columbine(Aquilegia canadensis)

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Close-up of flowers
Image via Wikipedia

 

Botanical Name:Aquilegia canadensis
Family: Ranunculaceae
Genus: Aquilegia
Species: A. canadensis
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Ranunculales
Common Name: Canadian or Canada columbine, Eastern red columbine, Wild columbine
Habitat: Rocky woods.  Avaible  from Ontario as far south as Georga.

Description:
Plant Type: This is a herbaceous plant, it is a perennial which can reach 90cm in height (35inches).
Leaves: The leaves are alternate. . Each leaf is deeply lobed or divided.
Flowers: The flowers have 5 Regular Parts and are up to 5cm long (2 inches) and are up to 5cm wide (2 inches). They are red, orange and yellow. Blooms first appear in mid spring and continue into early summer. The flower hangs and the lower part is yellowish. The shape of the flower is very distinct.
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Grows easily in full sun to part shade. Tolerates a wide range of soils except heavy, poorly drained ones. Will grow in rocky, dry soil in shaded areas and on slopes.

Keep soils uniformly moist after bloom to prevent the foliage from dying back. If foliage deteriorates, cut plants to the ground. Fresh new foliage will emerge and look good all season.

Collect dried seed pods and sow them where you want more plants or simply let the plants self-sow.
Cultivation: The plant is easily propagated from seed and blooms the second year. It is relatively long lived in the garden. It grows well in shade, and in sun with proper moisture. The plant has gained the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit. The cultivar ‘Little Lanterns’ is half the height of the species.

Historical Lore: Young Native American men mixed the seeds with their smoking tobacco to give it a more pleasant aroma and this may have been considered a love charm. It was considered to possess a persuasive power and was so used in council meetings.

Constituents:The root contains aquilegunine, berberine, magnoflorine and other alkaloids.

Medical Properities: —As stated before the medical properties of the plant have never been investigated. They are no doubt analogous to the Aquilegia vulgaris of Europe, which has been used in cutaneous diseases and in jaundice. It is said to be a “diuretic, emmenagogue sudorific, antiscorbutic and aperitive. The seeds are acrid and are taken in vinous infusions for jaundice.”

Medical Uses: Preparations of this plant are used as an astringent, analgesic, and a diuretic. American Indians used crushed seeds to relieve headaches.

The root tea or chewed root and sometimes the leaves, has been used as a diuretic and to treat diarrhea and other stomach troubles.

Warning: The plant could be toxic if taken in large amounts especially to children.(as Aquilegia canadensis contains a cyanogenic glycoside, which releases poisonous hydrogen cyanide when the plant is damaged.)

Similar Species: European Columbine (A. vulgaris) which has shorter spurs on the flowers which may be blue, violet, white or pink has become naturalized in some areas.

Disclaimer:The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplements, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.


Resources:
http://2bnthewild.com/plants/H19.htm
http://www.piam.com/mms_garden/plants.html
http://www.abnativeplants.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=plants.plantDetail&plant_id=83
http://www.henriettesherbal.com/eclectic/dmna/aquilegia.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquilegia_canadensis

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Globe Flower

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Botanical Name: Trollius Europaeus
Family: Ranunculaceae
Genus: Trollius
Species: T. europaeus
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Ranunculales
Synonyms: Globe Trollius. Boule d’Or. European Globe Flower. Globe Ranunculus. Globe Crowfoot. Lucken-Gowans.
Parts Used: The whole plant, fresh.
Habitat: It grows in damp ground in shady areas, woodland and scrub. Northern and Central Europe, from the Caucasus and Siberia to Wales and sometimes Ireland. Found wild in northern counties of England and in Scotland.

Description: The plant grows usually in moist woods and mountain pastures, and is about 2 feet high, the stalk being hollow, smooth, and branching towards the top, each branch bearing one yellow flower without a calix, shaped like that of Crowfoot. The leaves are beautifully cut into five, indented sections. It is a favourite bloom for rustic festivals, and early in June collections of it are made by youths and maidens to decorate cottage doors.
It has a tall, 60 cm flower with a bright yellow, globe-shaped head. Flowering between June and August. A native of Europe and Western Asia. It’s slightly poisonous and is purgative and rubefacient when used fresh.
It is often cultivated as a border flower, as are the other two species of the genus.

...CLICK TO SEE THE PICTURES

The Globe Flower is a glorified Buttercup; its leaves and flowers resemble the Buttercup in form but are larger. Improved varieties have orange, gold, orange-red and lemon-colored flowers, often double. The commonest species is Trollius europwus, but while all the catalogued species resemble each other in form, the seasons and the colors of the flowers differ. They grow about l feet tall and bloom throughout the Summer, starting in late May.

Utilize: The Globe Flower flourishes, both in sun and shade, and is especially at home in borders in which the soil is a trifle too damp for other plants. They are showy border plants, their neat habit and compact flowers commend them to all. We must add that they grow nicely in the ordinary garden soil, even though it be away from the waterside.

Propagation:Although usually propagated from seeds, the plants are tardy in coming into bloom. Old plants may also be divided.

Constituents: The Swedish naturalist Peter Kalm affirms that these plants have medicinal properties, but lose the greater part of their active principles in drying. The irritant, acrid principle is not well defined, and appears to be destroyed by the action of heat.

Medicinal Action and Uses: It is stated that Trollius is used in Russia in certain obscure maladies, while another authority claims that it has cured a scorbutic case declared incurable by doctors. It is a plant to be investigated.

Other Species:
T. Asiaticus, or Asiatic Globe Flower. The leaves of this species are larger than in the European plant, resembling those of Yellow Monk’s Hood, although the stature of T. Asiaticus is less. The flowers are an orangetinged yellow. It is a native of Siberia, but can be grown in any garden with shade and a moist soil.

T. Laxus is yellow, and grows in shady, wet places on the mountains of New York and Pennsylvania.

Click to see also:->
CROWFOOT, CELERY-LEAVED
CROWFOOT, UPRIGHT MEADOW

Disclaimer:
The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplements, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider

Resources:
http://botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/g/globef20.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Globe-flower
http://www.backyardgardener.com/pren/pg105.html

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