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A large family of dicotyledonous plants commonly known as the buttercup family. It is cosmopolitan in distribution though best represented in temperate and cold latitudes. There are some 50 genera and over 1800 species, most of which are herbaceous. The leaves are often divided or lobed and usually arise either from the base of the stem or in an alternate arrangement. The flowers may be solitary, e.g. Anemone, or borne in a raceme or cyme. The flowers are usually actinomorphic with the parts arranged spirally or, less commonly, in whorls. There are numerous stamens and normally five prominent petals. Some genera, e.g. Consolida (larkspurs), Aconitum (monkshoods, wolf-banes), and Aquilegia (columbines), have zygomorphic flowers. The fruit is usually an achene or a many-seeded follicle. The family contains many ornamentals, e.g. Clematis, Caltha, and Nigella, but there are no important food crops.
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