This small charming flower was said in Victorian times to tell a lover that he or she was rich in charm and attraction.
The name ranunculus means little frog in Latin, so called because the Roman naturalist Pliny found these flowers in low, damp places, among the frogs.
There are more than 250 species of ranunculus; even the delphinium is part of the family. In Japan, one species is a climber with proliferous blooms, growing to ten feet. In southern Europe, a smaller variety bears white and sky-blue blooms. The buttercup is a wild ranunculus.