''Anemone multifida'' is a species of flowering plant in the

buttercup family Ranunculaceae (buttercup or crowfoot family; Latin "little frog", from "frog") is a family of over 2,000 known species of flowering plants in 43 genera, distributed worldwide. The largest genera are ''Ranunculus'' (600 species), ''Delphinium' ...

known by the common names cutleaf anemone, Pacific anemone and globe anemone. It is a perennial herb native to northern North America from

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

and as far south as

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

and

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

. It is also known from parts of South America.

Description

This is a perennial herb which is quite variable in appearance, especially across varieties. It grows from a branching

caudex A caudex (plural: caudices) of a plant is a stem, but the term is also used to mean a rootstock and particularly a basal stem structure from which new growth arises.pages 456 and 695 In the strict sense of the term, meaning a stem, "caudex" is m ...

to heights from 10 to 70 centimeters. The long petioled leaves are covered in a coat of long silky or coarse white hairs. Each leaf is divided into many long, pointed lobes, and the lobes are sometimes subdivided. Including the petiole a single leaf may be 5 to 20 centimeters long. The basal leaves are divided two or three times into narrow segments. The

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...

holds one or more flowers. The flowers have no petals but four to eight (usually five) petallike

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 The term ''sepalum'' was coined b ...

s which may be nearly any color but typically white. They are somewhat hairy, especially on the outer surface. The center of the flower contains up to 80

stamen The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filame ...

s. The fruit is an

achene An achene (; ), also sometimes called akene and occasionally achenium or achenocarp, is a type of simple dry fruit produced by many species of flowering plants. Achenes are monocarpellate (formed from one carpel) and indehiscent (they do not ope ...

that is woolly with long hairs, beaked, and a few millimeters long.

Varieties

There are several varieties of this species: *''A. m.'' var. ''multifida'' - throughout species range *''A. m.'' var. ''saxicola'' (red windflower) - limited to western parts of species range *''A. m.'' var. ''stylosa'' - limited to

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

and

*''A. m.'' var. ''tetonensis'' - limited to the montane west of the contiguous United States

Distribution and habitat

''Anemone multifida'' is found growing on calcareous ledges, in areas with rocky or gravelly soils around lakes and other water ways, and on dunes. In Minnesota it is record as growing in a prairie. It is typically found growing in

subarctic The subarctic zone is a region in the Northern Hemisphere immediately south of the true Arctic, north of humid continental regions and covering much of Alaska, Canada, Iceland, the north of Scandinavia, Siberia, and the Cairngorms. Generally, ...

and

boreal Boreal may refer to: Climatology and geography *Boreal (age), the first climatic phase of the Blytt-Sernander sequence of northern Europe, during the Holocene epoch *Boreal climate, a climate characterized by long winters and short, cool to mild ...

areas in western and central North America but some populations are also found in mountainous and temperate habitats in the southern parts of its North American range. It is also found around the

Great lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes in the mid-east region of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. There are five lakes ...

region and there are rare occurrences in the north eastern US states and eastern Canada. ''A. multifada'' is poisonous as it has high

ranunculin Ranunculin is an unstable glucoside found in plants of the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae). On maceration, for example when the plant is wounded, it is enzymatically broken down into glucose and the toxin protoanemonin Protoanemonin (sometimes ...

content: about 8.1% in aerial parts and 4% in root per dry weight.

References

External links

Jepson Manual Treatment
{{Taxonbar, from=Q4761662 multifida Flora of Canada Flora of the United States