The

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

''Pulsatilla'' contains about 40

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of herbaceous

perennial plant A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

s native to meadows and prairies of North America,

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

, and

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...

. Derived from the Hebrew word for Passover, "pasakh", the common name pasque flower refers to the

Easter Easter,Traditional names for the feast in English are "Easter Day", as in the '' Book of Common Prayer''; "Easter Sunday", used by James Ussher''The Whole Works of the Most Rev. James Ussher, Volume 4'') and Samuel Pepys''The Diary of Samuel ...

(

Passover Passover, also called Pesach (; ), is a major Jewish holiday that celebrates the Biblical story of the Israelites escape from slavery in Egypt, which occurs on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Nisan, the first month of Aviv, or spring. ...

) flowering period, in the spring. Common names include pasque flower (or pasqueflower), wind flower, prairie crocus, Easter flower, and meadow anemone. Several species are valued ornamentals because of their finely-dissected leaves, solitary bell-shaped

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

s, and plumed

seed A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiospe ...

heads. The showy part of the flower consists of

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 coine ...

s, not petals.

Taxonomy

The genus ''Pulsatilla'' was first formally named in 1754 by the English botanist

Philip Miller Philip Miller FRS (1691 – 18 December 1771) was an English botanist and gardener of Scottish descent. Miller was chief gardener at the Chelsea Physic Garden for nearly 50 years from 1722, and wrote the highly popular ''The Gardeners Dicti ...

. The

type species In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specime ...

is ''

Pulsatilla vulgaris ''Pulsatilla vulgaris'', the pasqueflower, is a species of flowering plant belonging to the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae), found locally on calcareous grassland in Europe, and widely cultivated in gardens. It was considered part of the genus ...

'', the European pasque flower. It is sometimes considered a subgenus under the genus ''

Anemone ''Anemone'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae. Plants of the genus are commonly called windflowers. They are native to the temperate and subtropical regions of all continents except Australia, New Zealand an ...

'' or as an informally named "group" within ''Anemone'' subg. ''Anemone'' sect. ''Pulsatilloides''.

Species

Kew Kew () is a district in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Its population at the 2011 census was 11,436. Kew is the location of the Royal Botanic Gardens ("Kew Gardens"), now a World Heritage Site, which includes Kew Palace. Kew is a ...

's Plants of the World Online lists 42 species in the genus ''Pulsatilla'': Plants of the World Online lists ten named hybrids: *''Pulsatilla'' × ''bolzanensis'' Murr *''Pulsatilla'' × ''celakovskyana'' Domin *''Pulsatilla'' × ''emiliana'' (F.O.Wolf) Beauverd *''Pulsatilla'' × ''gayeri'' Simonk. *''Pulsatilla'' × ''girodii'' (Rouy) P.Fourn. *''Pulsatilla'' × ''hackelii'' Pohl *''Pulsatilla'' × ''knappii'' (Palez.) Palez. *''Pulsatilla'' × ''weberi'' (Widder) Janch. ex Holub *''Pulsatilla'' × ''wilczekii'' (F.O.Wolf ex Hegi) P.Fourn. *''Pulsatilla'' × ''yanbianensis'' H.Z.Lv

Cultural significance

'' Pulsatilla nuttalliana'' (as the synonym ''P. patens'') is the provincial flower of

Manitoba , image_map = Manitoba in Canada 2.svg , map_alt = Map showing Manitoba's location in the centre of Southern Canada , Label_map = yes , coordinates = , capital = Winn ...

, Canada and (as the synonym ''P. hirsutissima'') the state flower of the US state of

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux Native American tribes, who comprise a large porti ...

. ''

'' is the

County flower In a number of countries, plants have been chosen as symbols to represent specific geographic areas. Some countries have a country-wide floral emblem; others in addition have symbols representing subdivisions. Different processes have been used to ...

for both Hertfordshire and

Cambridgeshire Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs.) is a county in the East of England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the north-east, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. ''

Pulsatilla vernalis ''Pulsatilla vernalis'' (spring pasqueflower, arctic violet, lady of the snows) is a species of flowering plant in the family Ranunculaceae, native to mountainous habitats in Europe. Growing to high and wide, it is a semi-evergreen perennial wi ...

'' is the county flower of

Oppland Oppland is a former county in Norway which existed from 1781 until its dissolution on 1 January 2020. The old Oppland county bordered the counties of Trøndelag, Møre og Romsdal, Sogn og Fjordane, Buskerud, Akershus, Oslo and Hedmark. The c ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...

. The UK has introduced the UK biodiversity action plan to address the 49% decline in wild ''Pulsatilla'' species.

Use and toxicity

''Pulsatilla'' is a toxic plant. Misuse can lead to

diarrhea Diarrhea, also spelled diarrhoea, is the condition of having at least three loose, liquid, or watery bowel movements each day. It often lasts for a few days and can result in dehydration due to fluid loss. Signs of dehydration often begin w ...

, vomiting and convulsions,

hypotension Hypotension is low blood pressure. Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against the walls of the arteries as the heart pumps out blood. Blood pressure is indicated by two numbers, the systolic blood pressure (the top number) and the dia ...

, and coma. It has been used as a medicine by Native Americans for centuries. Blackfoot Indians used it to induce abortions and childbirth. ''Pulsatilla'' should not be taken during

pregnancy Pregnancy is the time during which one or more offspring develops (gestation, gestates) inside a woman, woman's uterus (womb). A multiple birth, multiple pregnancy involves more than one offspring, such as with twins. Pregnancy usually occur ...

nor during

lactation Lactation describes the secretion of milk from the mammary glands and the period of time that a mother lactates to feed her young. The process naturally occurs with all sexually mature female mammals, although it may predate mammals. The proces ...

. Extracts of ''Pulsatilla'' have been used to treat reproductive problems such as premenstrual syndrome and

epididymitis Epididymitis is a medical condition characterized by inflammation of the epididymis, a curved structure at the back of the testicle. Onset of pain is typically over a day or two. The pain may improve with raising the testicle. Other symptoms may i ...

. Additional applications of plant extracts include uses as a sedative and for treating coughs. It is also used in the field of homeopathy.

References

''Anemone pulsatilla''
Wildflowers index, Department of Horticultural Science of NC State University * Gregory L. Tilford 1997. ''Edible and Medicinal plants of the West'', Mountain Press Publishing
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- "Pasqueflower (''Pulsatilla vulgaris'') Local species action plan for Cambridgeshire, 1999" {{Taxonbar, from=Q147764 Pulsatilla, Ranunculaceae genera Medicinal plants Symbols of South Dakota Articles containing video clips Taxa named by Philip Miller