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anémone multifide, cliff anemone, cut-leaf anemone, cut-leaf windflower, globe anemone, Pacific anemone

Piper's anemone, Piper's windflower

Aerial shoots

10-70 cm, from caudices, caudices ascending to vertical.

10-35 cm, from rhizomes, rhizomes primarily vertical, occasionally strongly ascending.

Basal leaves

3-6(-10), 1-2-ternate;

petiole (2-)4-10(-14) cm;

terminal leaflet petiolulate to ±sessile, broadly and irregularly rhombic to obovate, (1.5-)2.5-4.5(-5.5) × (1-)3-10 cm, base narrowly cuneate, margins incised on distal 1/3, apex broadly acute to nearly obtuse;

surfaces abaxially villous-silky, hispid to villous, or sparsely long-pilose, adaxially glabrous, nearly glabrous, villous-silky, or hispid to villous;

lateral leaflets (2-)3x-parted; ultimate segments (1.5-)2-3.5(-5) mm wide.

(0-)1-2, ternate;

petiole 10-20 cm;

terminal leaflet sessile, rhombic, lanceolate, or oblanceolate, (1.5-)2.5-6 × (1-)2-4 cm, base narrowly cuneate, margins coarsely serrate to coarsely dentate on distal 1/2-2/3, apex acuminate to narrowly acute, surfaces pilose or glabrous;

lateral leaflets unlobed or sometimes 1x-lobed; ultimate lobes 10-19 mm wide.

Inflorescences

2-7-flowered cymes or flowers solitary;

peduncle villous, pilose, or hispid to villous;

involucral bracts usually 3-5, occasionally 2 in secondary involucres, 1-2-tiered, ternate, occasionally incompletely ternate, ±similar to basal leaves, greatly reduced, bases distinct;

terminal leaflet petiolulate to ±sessile, broadly and irregularly rhombic to obovate, (1.5-)3-4(-5) × 0.5-1(-2) cm, base narrowly cuneate, margins incised on distal 1/3, apex broadly acute to nearly obtuse, surfaces abaxially hispid to villous, villous-silky, or sparsely long-pilose, adaxially glabrous, nearly glabrous, hispid to villous, or villous-silky;

lateral leaflets (2-)3x-parted or -lobed, lobes frequently unequal; ultimate lobes 1.5-3(-4.3) mm wide.

1-flowered;

peduncle coarsely pilose distally;

involucral bracts 3, 1-tiered, ternate, ±similar to basal leaves, bases distinct;

terminal leaflet sessile, rhombic, lanceolate, or oblanceolate, (1.5-)2-5.5(-7) × (0.6-)1-2.5 cm, base narrowly cuneate, margins coarsely serrate to coarsely dentate on distal 1/2-2/3, apex acuminate to narrowly acute, surfaces pilose or glabrous;

lateral leaflets unlobed or sometimes 1x-lobed; ultimate lobes (5-)8-18 mm wide.

Flowers

sepals 5-9, green to yellow, blue, purple, red, or occasionally white, or abaxially blue, red, yellow and red, or purple, or tinged purple, adaxially white, yellow, yellow and red, blue, or tinged purple, ovate to oblong, 5-17 × (3.5-)5-7(-9) mm, abaxially hairy, adaxially glabrous;

stamens 50-80.

sepals 5-7, white, rarely pinkish, elliptic-obovate to ovate, (6-)8-20 × 6-8 mm, glabrous;

stamens 35-55(-90).

Achenes

body irregularly ellipsoid or elliptic, flat, 3-4 × 1.5-2 mm, not winged, tomentose, woolly, or villous;

beak ±straight, distally recurved or strongly hooked, 1-6 mm, glabrous.

body ellipsoid to obliquely ovoid, 3-4 × 1.5-2 mm, not winged, villous;

beak straight or slightly curved, 0.5-1 mm, glabrous or proximally minutely puberulous, not plumose.

Heads of achenes

spheric;

pedicel 6-15(-23) cm.

nearly spheric;

pedicel (1.5-)2-5 cm.

Anemone multifida

Anemone piperi

Phenology Flowering spring–summer (Apr–Aug).
Habitat Shaded, moist woods
Elevation 400-3000 m (1300-9800 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AK; AZ; CA; CO; ID; ME; MI; MN; MT; ND; NE; NM; NV; NY; OR; SD; UT; VT; WA; WI; WY; AB; BC; MB; NB; NF; NT; ON; QC; SK; YT; South America
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
ID; MT; OR; UT; WA; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 4 (4 in the flora).

G.Boraiah and M.Heimburger (1964) conducted an extensive cytotaxonomic analysis of this wide-ranging and extremely variable species and its relatives. The present treatment takes a broader view of the species (and its variation) and recognizes fewer entities. In addition, Anemone tetonensis and A. stylosa, plants treated as closely related species by G.Boraiah and M.Heimburger, are treated here as varieties of A. multifida.

Early-season plants of Anemone multifida var. multifida have solitary flowers and will key to var. saxicola. Anemone multifida var. tetonensis and especially var. saxicola might be based on characteristics that are influenced primarily by environment; further study is warranted.

Native Americans used Anemone multifida (no varieties specified) medicinally as an antirheumatic, cold remedy, nosebleed cure, and general panacea, as well as a means of killing lice and fleas (D. E. Moerman 1986).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Plants of Anemone piperi from southeastern Washington and northeastern Oregon (i.e., the westernmost limits of the species) are sometimes intermediate between A. piperi and A. oregana. Although they possess vertical rhizomes characteristic of A. piperi, they have the bluish or pinkish sepals of A. oregana. These plants are best referred to A. piperi, pending detailed biosystematic analysis.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Key
1. Flowers in cymes; involucral bracts 2-tiered.
→ 2
1. Flowers solitary; involucral bracts 1-tiered.
→ 5
2. Beak straight.
→ 3
2. Beak recurved or hooked.
→ 4
3. Aerial shoots (30–)40–70 cm; flowers (2–)5–7; bracts silky; sepals ovate or oblong.
var. multifida
3. Aerial shoots (10–)20–40 cm; flowers (1–)2–3; bracts villous; sepals elliptic.
var. saxicola
4. Beak recurved.
var. tetonensis
4. Beak hooked.
var. stylosa
5. Abaxial color of sepals different from adaxial color.
→ 6
5. Abaxial color of sepals same as adaxial color.
→ 7
6. Aerial shoots 20–40 cm; achene beak ± straight.
var. saxicola
6. Aerial shoots 10–20(–25) cm; achene beak recurved.
var. tetonensis
7. Sepals blue, purple, or sometimes white; achene beak recurved.
var. tetonensis
7. Sepals purple to red, or green to red; achene beak strongly hooked distally.
var. stylosa
Source FNA vol. 3. FNA vol. 3.
Parent taxa Ranunculaceae > Anemone Ranunculaceae > Anemone
Sibling taxa
A. acutiloba, A. americana, A. berlandieri, A. canadensis, A. caroliniana, A. cylindrica, A. deltoidea, A. drummondii, A. edwardsiana, A. grayi, A. lancifolia, A. lyallii, A. multiceps, A. narcissiflora, A. occidentalis, A. okennonii, A. oregana, A. parviflora, A. patens, A. piperi, A. quinquefolia, A. richardsonii, A. tuberosa, A. virginiana
A. acutiloba, A. americana, A. berlandieri, A. canadensis, A. caroliniana, A. cylindrica, A. deltoidea, A. drummondii, A. edwardsiana, A. grayi, A. lancifolia, A. lyallii, A. multiceps, A. multifida, A. narcissiflora, A. occidentalis, A. okennonii, A. oregana, A. parviflora, A. patens, A. quinquefolia, A. richardsonii, A. tuberosa, A. virginiana
Subordinate taxa
A. multifida var. multifida, A. multifida var. saxicola, A. multifida var. stylosa, A. multifida var. tetonensis
Name authority Poiret: in J. Lamarck et al., in J.Lamarck et al., Encycl., suppl. 1: 364. (1810) Britton ex Rydberg: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 29: 153. (1902)
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