I agree that some ranunculus drop their petals promptly, but here is an article (with wonderful photos) about plants with extreme adaptation to cold, including some Ranunculus. http://uib.no/filearchive/… Here is a quotation that is relevant to Ranunculus, and one of the photo exemplars they give is of Ranunculus glacialis. It says that after warming the seed, the petals then close and turn pink, converting from a parabolic reflector to a greenhouse. There is a photo. "Parabolic flower shape concentrates heat in the m iddle of the flower and flowers track the sun (heliotropism) as it circles overhead. Reflects the warmth from the sun' s rays towards the flower centre. Helps to attract pollina ting insects and to speed seed development" Jane Sargent _______________________________________________ pbs mailing list pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net http://lists.pacificbulbsociety.net/cgi-bin/…