Anemone

Plant Sciences 211, Fall 2010
North Dakota State University

Characteristics

Anemones are herbaceous perennials. Anemone coronaria generally can only be found in shades of red, blue, white, purple, and magenta. They are characterized by a solitary flower on a stem with a coil of small leaves underneath the flower, and a basal rosette of a few leaves. The leaves of the anemone are deeply lobed and slightly resemble parsley leaves. The flower is generally 3-8 cm and instead of petals, has 4 to 27 thin, brightly colored sepals. At the center of the flower are tightly-clustered achenes. Anemones are monoecious, having 10-200 stamens and many simple pistils. There are many cultivated varieties of Anemone, but by far the two most common are Anemone coronaria 'De Caen', which consists of a flower with a single row of sepals and Anemone coronaria 'St. Brigid',which has a double flower. Anemones blooms from mid-spring to early or late summer, depending on the time of planting. While they are drought-tolerant, they tend to be susceptible to rust and scales.