Anemone narcissiflora

Anemone narcissiflora
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
Order:	Ranunculales
Family:	Ranunculaceae
Genus:	Anemone
Species:	A. narcissiflora
Binomial name
Anemone narcissiflora L.

Anemone narcissiflora (Narcissus-flowered anemone) is a herbaceous perennial in the genus Anemone and the buttercup family.

Description

Plants grow 7 to 60 cm tall, from a caudex (woody-like perennial base), flowering spring to mid summer but often found flowering till late summer. They have 3-10 basal leaves that are ternate (arranged with three leaflets), rounded to rounded triangular in shape with 40 to 200 mm long petioles.

The flowers are produced in inflorescences with 2 to 8 flowers, in umbels, but often also produced singularly. The inflorescence have 3 leaf-like bracts similar in appearance to the basal leaves but simple and greatly reduced in size, pinnatifid in shape. Flowers lack petals, the sepals number 5-9 per flower and are white, white tinted blue or yellow in color. The flowers have 40 to 80 stamens but can have up to 100.

After flowering, fruits are produced in rounded heads with 5–14 cm long pedicels. When the fruits, called achenes, are ripe they are ellipsoid to ovate in outline, flat in shape and 5 to 9 mm long and 4–6 mm wide. The achenes are winged with no hairs and have 0.8-1.5 mm long beaks that are curved or recurved.

Distribution

Anemone narcissiflora is native to north western North America and Eurasia where it can be found growing in high mountain alpine grasslands, in thickets, grassy meadows with moist soils, tundra, open woods, along roadsides and in pastures.

Varieties

This species is very variable and at least 12 varieties are generally recognized with even more proposed by other authorities. The name of the species has been in dispute and some have listed it as Anemone narcissifolia but Anemone narcissiflora was proposed for conservation.^[1]

Three varieties are native to North America:

• Anemone narcissiflora L. var. villosissima DC. - Alaska
• Anemone narcissiflora L. var. monantha DC. - Alaska and Eastern Yukon and Northern Northwest Territories in Canada
• Anemone narcissiflora L. var. zephyra (A. Nels.) Dutton & Keener - Colorado and Wyoming

The others are from Eurasia.

Gallery

Flower July 27, 2002 in Mount Tsubakuro	Leaf August 5, 2007 in Mount Kita	Seed August 16, 2007 in Mt. Kita	Natural garden July 27, 2002 in Mt. Tsubakuro

References

1. Flora of North America Vol 3, Magnoliophyta:Magnoliidae and Hamamelidae. Flora of North America Editorial Committee. Oxford University Press. 1997. pp. 139–158. ISBN 0-19-511246-6.