Ranunculales

Ranunculales is an order of flowering plants. Of necessity it contains the family Ranunculaceae, the buttercup family.

The APG system (1998) and the APG II system (2003) both recognize the order and place it among the basal eudicots, not assigned to a further clade. These systems use this circumscription: Note: "+ ..." = optional segregrate family, that may be split off from the preceding family.
 * order Ranunculales
 * family Berberidaceae
 * family Circaeasteraceae
 * [+ family Kingdoniaceae ]
 * family Eupteleaceae
 * family Lardizabalaceae
 * family Menispermaceae
 * family Papaveraceae
 * [+ family Fumariaceae ]
 * [+ family Pteridophyllaceae ]
 * family Ranunculaceae

Under this definition, well-known members of Ranunculales include buttercups, clematis, columbines, delphiniums, and poppies.

The Cronquist system (1981) also recognised the order, but placed it in the subclass Magnoliidae, in class Magnoliopsida [= dicotyledons]. It used this circumscription:
 * order Ranunculales
 * family Ranunculaceae
 * family Circaeasteraceae
 * family Berberidaceae
 * family Sargentodoxaceae
 * family Lardizabalaceae
 * family Menispermaceae
 * family Coriariaceae
 * family Sabiaceae

In the Cronquist system the Papaveraceae and Fumariaceae (including the plants in the optional family Pteridophyllaceae) were treated as a separate order Papaverales, placed in this same subclass Magnoliidae.