Anemone oregana
Anemone multifida
blue windflower, bog anemone, Oregon anemone, Oregon windflower, western wood anemone, western wood anenome
anémone multifide, cliff anemone, cut-leaf anemone, cut-leaf windflower, globe anemone, Pacific anemone
5-30(-35) cm, from rhizomes, rhizomes horizontal.
10-70 cm, from caudices, caudices ascending to vertical.
0-1, ternate;
petiole 4-20 cm;
terminal leaflet sessile to petiolulate, oblanceolate to rhombic, oblong, or ovate, 1-5(-6) × 0.7-2.5(-3.5) cm, base narrowly cuneate, margins sharply serrate on distal 1/2(-2/3), apex acuminate to acute, surfaces strigose to nearly glabrous;
lateral leaflets unlobed or 1x-lobed; ultimate lobes 0.4-10 mm wide.
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.
1-flowered;
peduncle proximally glabrous, distally villous to pilose;
involucral bracts 3, 1-tiered, ternate, ±similar to basal leaves, bases distinct;
terminal leaflet sessile to petiolulate, oblanceolate to rhombic, oblong, or ovate, 1-8 × 0.8-3(-3.5) cm, bases narrowly cuneate to cuneate, margins crenate to serrate on distal 1/2(-2/3), apex acuminate to acute, surfaces abaxially glabrous or strigose, adaxially nearly glabrous to strigose;
lateral leaflets unlobed or 1x-lobed; ultimate lobes 0.5-10 mm wide.
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.
sepals 5-7(-8), blue to purple, reddish, or purple to pink (rarely nearly white or abaxially reddish, violet, or marginally purple, adaxially white), ovate, oblong, or elliptic, 10-20 × 5-8(-10) mm, glabrous;
stamens 30-75.
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.
body oblong to ellipsoid, 4-5 × 1.5-2 mm, not winged, puberulous to pilose, rarely glabrous;
beak ±straight, (0.5-)1-1.5 mm, glabrous.
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.
nearly spheric;
pedicel (1.5-)2-5(-7) cm.
spheric;
pedicel 6-15(-23) cm.
Anemone oregana
Anemone multifida
Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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.)
1. Stamens 30–60; abaxial color of sepals same as adaxial color; margins of involucral bracts similar to those of basal leaves. | var. oregana |
1. Stamens 60–75; abaxial color of sepals different from adaxial color; margins of involucral bracts more coarsely serrate than those of basal leaves. | var. felix |
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 |
- Local floras:
BC, 
OR, 
WA - Local Web sites:
CalFlora, CalPhotos, 
Flora NW, 
Go Botany, 
MI Flora, 
MN Wildflowers, 
PNW Herbaria, Turner Photog. 
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist (observations)
USDA Plants Database- LBJ Wildflower Center
- SEINet
- Plants of the World Online
- Encyclopedia of Life
- Wikipedia
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