Biology:Anemone canadensis

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Short description: Species of flowering plant in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae

Anemone canadensis
Anemone canadensis.jpg
Scientific classification edit
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Ranunculales
Family: Ranunculaceae
Genus: Anemone
Species:
A. canadensis
Binomial name
Anemone canadensis
Synonyms[1]
  • Anemone dichotoma var. canadensis (L.) MacMill.
  • Anemone pensylvanica L.
  • Anemonidium canadense (L.) Á. Löve & D. Löve

Anemone canadensis, the Canada anemone, round-headed anemone, round-leaf thimbleweed,[2] meadow anemone, windflower,[3] or crowfoot, is a herbaceous perennial native to moist meadows, thickets, streambanks, and lakeshores in North America, spreading rapidly by underground rhizomes, valued for its white flowers.[4] It is sometimes called Anemonastrum canadense.[5]

Description

The Canada anemone has shoots with deeply divided and toothed basal leaves on 8–22 cm (3 148 34 inches). They grow from ascending caudices on long, thin rhizomes. The shoots are 20–80 cm (8–31 inches) tall, and leaves are 4–10 cm (1 12–4 inches) by 5–15 cm (2–6 inches).[6]

Flowers with about 5 white, petal-like sepals and 80-100 yellow stamens bloom from late spring to summer on stems above a cluster of leaves. The sepals are obovate (with the base slightly tapered) and 10–20 mm (1234 inch) by 5–15 mm (1458 inch).[6]

When they are pollinated, the green pistils in the middle of the flower become a rounded to slightly lengthened seed head. The seeds are achenes, with an almost round body and a beak.[6]

Uses

In former times it was used medically by North American Indigenous peoples as an astringent and as a styptic for wounds, sores, nosebleeds, and as an eyewash. The root was respected by Plains tribes and used for many ailments.

Toxicity

It is likely that most anemones contain the caustic irritants of the family Ranunculaceae.[7]

References


Wikidata ☰ Q2198861 entry