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Ranunculus aconitifolius

species of plant

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Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionMay 19, 2026
Entity authorityQ159015 ↗
Source-derived summary

Ranunculus aconitifolius, the aconite-leaf buttercup or bachelor's buttons, is a species of flowering plant in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae, native to central Europe. Growing to 60 cm (24 in) high by 40 cm (16 in) broad, this herbaceous perennial has slightly hairy palmate leaves up to 20 cm (8 in) long, and loose panicles of white, saucer-shaped flowers in spring.

This species forms clumps, sometimes large colonies in moist places in mountains, meadows, edges of ditches and streams.

The Latin specific epithet aconitifolius means “with leaves resembling aconite”, a reference to the related genus Aconitum, the monkshoods.

The double-flowered cultivar R. aconitifolius 'Flore Pleno' (fair maids of France, fair maids of Kent) has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

References

Species Plantarum 1: 551. 1753.

Editorial summary

This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Ranunculus aconitifolius” as species of plant. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.

Editorial reviewA practical orientation to terminology and classification, particularly when read beside dated observations, specimens or technical literature. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1753—that can be checked directly. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. The account is most persuasive where Ranunculus, aconitifolius and species can be independently traced.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

The subject matters to the science & nature register because the source frames it as species of plant. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.

Evidence profile

Datasets, specimens, observations and peer-reviewed methods provide the appropriate test for the technical claims summarized here. The source revision retrieved here is dated May 19, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q159015. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1753.

Critical limits

Scientific names, classifications and consensus can change while older terminology persists in catalogues and historical literature. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Check terminology, classification and the date of the cited evidence. Scientific names and technical consensus can change while older records retain historical value.

Best used for
  • Current terminology
  • Classification context
  • Finding cited technical literature
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Primary datasets, specimen catalogues, standards bodies and the most recent peer-reviewed literature.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Ranunculus aconitifolius”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Ranunculus aconitifolius primary sources, Ranunculus aconitifolius archive and Ranunculus research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Ranunculus aconitifolius”?
  2. Is the terminology current, historical or disputed?
  3. Which observation, specimen, dataset or publication supports the account?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Ranunculus aconitifolius” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.