Flora of North America species comparison

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Anemone occidentalis

mountain pasqueflower, pulsatille, western anemone, western pasqueflower
Aerial shoots

10-60(-75) cm, from caudices, caudices ascending to vertical.
Basal leaves

(2-)3-6(-8), primarily 3-foliolate with each leaflet pinnatifid to dissected;

petiole 6-8(-12) cm;

terminal leaflet petiolulate, ovate in outline, (2.5-)3-6(-8) cm, base cuneate, margins pinnatifid to dissected throughout, apex narrowly acute, surfaces villous;

lateral leaflets 2x-parted, pinnatifid; ultimate segments 2-3 mm wide.
Inflorescences

1-flowered;

peduncle woolly or densely villous, glabrate;

involucral bracts 3, occasionally more, 1-tiered, ±similar to basal leaves, 3-foliolate, ovate in outline, bases distinct;

terminal leaflet petiolulate, 2.5-7 cm (2.5 cm in flower, 7 cm or less in fruit), margins pinnatifid throughout, apex narrowly acute, surfaces villous;

lateral leaflets 2x-parted, pinnatifid; ultimate segments 2-3 mm wide.
Flowers

sepals 5-7, white, tinged purple (rarely abaxially blue proximally, white distally, and adaxially white), ovate to obovate, rarely elliptic, 15-30 × 10-17(-19) mm, abaxially hairy, adaxially glabrous;

stamens 150-200.
Achenes

body ellipsoid, 3-4 × ca. 1.5 mm, not winged, villous;

beak curved or recurved, reflexed with age, (18-)20-40(-50) mm, long-villous, plumose.
Heads of achenes

spheric, rarely cylindric;

pedicel 15-20(-22) cm.
2n

=16.

Anemone occidentalis
Phenology Flowering spring–summer (May–Aug/Sep).
Habitat Gravelly, rocky slopes, moist meadows
Elevation 500-3700 m (1600-12100 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; ID; MT; OR; WA; AB; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
Discussion

W. J. Hooker (1829) included Anemone occidentalis in his concept of Anemone alpina Linnaeus.

The Thompson Indians and the Okanagan used decoctions prepared from the roots of Anemone occidentalis to treat stomach and bowel troubles (D. E. Moerman 1986).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 3.
Parent taxa 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. multifida, A. narcissiflora, A. okennonii, A. oregana, A. parviflora, A. patens, A. piperi, A. quinquefolia, A. richardsonii, A. tuberosa, A. virginiana
Synonyms A. occidentalis var. subpilosa, Pulsatilla occidentalis
Name authority S. Watson: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 11: 121. (1876)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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