Ranunculus - Classification And Varieties

2024 Author: Sebastian Paterson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:47

Grow Ranunculus in flower beds or vases

Large, fluffy flowers on straight stems, framed by soft lacy foliage with thin, like satin, "glowing" petals - one of the best creations of Nature and Man.

Ranunculus flowers have rich, vibrant and certainly cheerful hues that can only compete with the enchanting colors of the rainbow born by the sun's rays!

Shades of petals often have an unusual combination: sultry gold and warm terracotta, "royal" purple and snow-white, pale pink and crimson and others.

Ranunculus at the same time enchant, bewitch, catch the eye, forcing to admire them!

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A bit of history

The beautiful flower of ranunculus ranunculus, and it belongs precisely to the Buttercup family, is appreciated and praised by poets, captured on canvases by artists, legends have been made about it. The most beautiful of them says that buttercups are stars that were turned into flowers by Jesus Christ and presented to their mother as a sign of respect and love.

For their glowing petals, these flowers in Italy are called "golden buttons" of meadows, which in spring are scattered along the banks of rivers and lakes. There they open their simple flowers with five bright yellow petals.

The famous ancient scientist Pliny, who died in a volcanic eruption in Pompeii, chose the name Ranunculus for them, which literally translates from Latin as "frog". Apparently, this name is due to the fact that many of its species love wet, swampy areas, which are preferred by amphibians known to all.

However, Ranunculus glacialis, mainly found in the Alps and used for planting on alpine hills, prefers well-drained soil.

Other cultivars, such as the interesting cultivar Ranunculus acris Multiplex, which has tall, light and elegant stems topped with large yellow flowers, prefers moderately moist soil and sunny locations: it will turn sunny borders into a magnificent decoration for your garden.

Asian ranunculus prefers dry lands, moderately wet, and not at all wet, marshy.

A bit of botany

Persian buttercup Flamenco

The birthplace of ranunculus is Asia Minor and Southeast Europe. They belong to the large Ranunculaceae family and number about 400 species.

Ranunculus is a low perennial herb with a simple or weakly branching stem 30-50 cm long and tuberous roots 2-2.5 cm long, resembling a spider.

Its leaves, which have a rich green color, are tripartite, openwork, heavily pubescent. Among them, single or multi-colored corollas of flowers, collected in small inflorescences, rise on strong stems, their petals have a wide range of colors: from snow-white to all shades of yellow, from orange to red, there are even green ones, like leaves. Flower shapes - double and semi-double.

These buttercups are characterized by very early flowering, therefore it is better to grow them indoors or provide shelter in case of spring frosts. In warm climates, for example, in the Crimea or the Caucasus, ranunculus do well in the open field.

According to the classification, ranunculus are divided into:

Ranunculus series Picotee (Pink Picotee)

French ranunculus. Bred in France in the 1800s, they are distinguished by their unique beauty, have double or semi-double flowers in a spherical shape with a huge number of petals, a wide palette of flowers with a dark spot in the middle of the flower. They bloom in summer.

Ranunculus Turkish or African, having a shape similar to a peony, is taller than the French, their flower shape is double or semi-double.

Persian ranunculus (Ranunculus di Persia) - their amazingly beautiful, double or semi-double-shaped flowers, very similar to "turbans", adorn the tall stems. They were known in Holland already at the end of the 15th century. Persian ranunculus have a very wide color palette. They are also characterized by very early flowering.

All modern fine ranunculus hybrids are mainly Asian ranunculus. This species with a tuberous root is the result of a long and painstaking work of breeders, as a result of which flowers with a rich gamut of shades and a double corolla shape were obtained. These flowers are also used for cutting.

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Some series of modern ranunculus

Ranunculus, variety Festival

Breeding work on the development of new ranunculus hybrids in Italy began in one of its most picturesque corners - in Liguria more than a century ago. It is thanks to the development of flora culture there that this region is now often called the “Reviera of Flowers”.

It was here, in the nursery of the famous city of San Remo, that breeders bred an unusual ranunculus variety of the Festivalny series. The high stem of the flower is crowned with a beautiful fluffy wreath of petals that have two independent shades - one main color and a "heart" with green petals in the center. Ranunculus of this series were grown from seed, hundreds of selection experiments were carried out before such a stunning flower was obtained.

These ranunculus are highly valued not only for their uniqueness, but also for the harmonious blooming of flowers during the main flowering period. Rhizomes in plants of this series do not sprout, so they should only be purchased as ready-made seedlings in pots. Have a unique bloom in spring!

The multicolored ranunculus of the Pikotee series are beautiful. It could not be otherwise, because Nature herself became their creator, since the fields with these ranunculi are under the jurisdiction of birds and bees, therefore natural pollination occurs, as a result of which flowers of amazing beauty were obtained, which could not be foreseen or planned. and even more so get in the laboratory.

And the number of color combinations is endless. These are truly unique ranunculi. Their petals are painted in two bright colors - one shade in the center of the petal and bright ribbons on the border of the other. This ranunculus hybrid has not yet become a mass-market flower.

The Flamenco Persian buttercup is one of the latest new varieties.

The name, in my opinion, is well chosen. A bright, eye-catching flower with hot yellow petals with a red border on the ends, it resembles the rise of the flounces of a skirt in the passionate Flamenco dance or the colorful plumage of fabulous birds.

The ranunculus of the "Merlot" series are also beautiful.

Flower fields are constantly monitored by breeders looking for new flowers that spontaneously appear in the fields.

Ranunculus series Success

When some hybrids are especially beautiful, they are harvested, planted in special areas and monitored for several seasons. It is only when characteristics are repeated and consolidated that the best specimens are selected for reproduction and sale.

New ranunculus hybrids of the “Elegant” series have thin contrasting stripes on delicate silky petals. Their beautiful large flowers are distinguished by rich uniform tones, such as deep purple, purple, reminiscent of royal velvet. They are characterized by early flowering.

Beautiful large flowers of the Success series were obtained thanks to the painstaking work of breeders, careful selection and genetic improvement of the best varieties. Ranunculus of this series got really beautiful shades of petals. They are distinguished by long flowering both in pots and outdoors.

Read the next part. Growing ranunculus: planting, feeding and watering →