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mountain pasqueflower, pulsatille, western anemone, western pasqueflower

porcupine river thimbleweed, purple anemone

Aerial shoots

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

(3-)5-15 cm, from caudices, caudices ascending to primarily 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.

5-20(-30+), 2-ternate, occasionally irregularly so;

petiole 2-5(-10) cm;

terminal leaflet sessile or basally attenuate and appearing petiolulate, obovate to obtriangular, 0.5-2(-3) × 0.5-2 cm, bases narrowly cuneate to cuneate, margins incised to dissected on distal 1/3-1/2, apex broadly acute to obtuse, surfaces sparsely villous, often nearly glabrous;

lateral leaflets 2x-lobed, lobing frequently irregular; ultimate lobes 1-2.6 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.

1-flowered;

peduncle villous;

involucral bracts 3(-4), 1-tiered, ±similar to basal leaves, highly reduced, 2-ternate or irregularly so, bases distinct;

terminal leaflet sessile or basally attenuate and appearing petiolulate, obovate to pinnatifid, 1-2(-2.5) × 0.5-2 cm, base narrowly cuneate to cuneate, margins incised to dissected on distal 1/3-1/2, apex broadly acute to obtuse, surfaces villous;

lateral leaflets 2x-parted, division frequently irregular; ultimate segments 1-2.5 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.

sepals 5-6, blue to purple, oblong or narrowly obovate, 8-20 × 6-10 mm, abaxially villous;

stamens 80-100, purple;

styles red.

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.

body ovoid, 2-4 × 1-1.5 mm, not winged, villous;

beak straight, 2-4(-6) mm, glabrous.

Heads of achenes

spheric, rarely cylindric;

pedicel 15-20(-22) cm.

spheric, rarely cylindric;

pedicel 2-6(-18) cm.

2n

=16.

=16.

Anemone occidentalis

Anemone multiceps

Phenology Flowering spring–summer (May–Aug/Sep). Flowering spring–summer (May–Jul).
Habitat Gravelly, rocky slopes, moist meadows Tundra, slopes, ridges, limestone outcrops, and screes
Elevation 500-3700 m (1600-12100 ft) 100-2100 m (300-6900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; ID; MT; OR; WA; AB; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
from FNA
AK; YT
[BONAP county 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.)

Anemone multiceps has uniformly purple sepals, purple stamens, and red styles, whereas A. drummondii (morphologically most similar to A. multiceps) has white or adaxially white and abaxially bluish sepals, whitish stamens, and white styles. Future biosystematic analysis of these entities is needed to determine whether A. multiceps is indeed distinct from A. drummondii.

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

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. multifida, A. narcissiflora, 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. multifida, A. narcissiflora, A. occidentalis, 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 Pulsatilla multiceps
Name authority S. Watson: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 11: 121. (1876) (Greene) Standley: Publ. Field Mus. Nat. Hist., Rep. Ser. 8(5): 310. (1931)
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