Anemone

anemone (ənĕm`ənē) or windflower, any of the perennial herbs, wild or cultivated, of the genus Anemone of the family Ranunculaceae (buttercup family). A rich legendary history has gained the anemone many names and attributes. It is said to have sprung from the blood of Adonis; Romans considered it valuable in preventing fever; it has been applied for bruises and freckles; for some it is tainted with evil; and by the Chinese it has been associated with death. The name windflower is accounted for in several ways, one of which is Pliny's statement that anemone blossoms are opened by the wind. Anemones contain an acrid compound called anemonin. It is poisonous but was formerly used medicinally. Best known of the wild kinds are the white- or purplish-flowered wood anemone (A. quinquefolia), sometimes known specifically as windflower, and the greenish-white-flowered tall anemone, or thimbleweed (A. virginiana), with thimble-shaped fruit. The most common cultivated kinds include the tall, autumn-flowering Japanese anemone (A. japonica) for gardens and the florists' poppy anemones (A. coronaria), native to the Mediterranean area. Similar to the anemone is the wild rue anemone of another buttercup-family genus (Anemonella or Syndesmon). The pasqueflower is sometimes included in Anemone. Anemones are classified in the division Magnoliophyta, class Magnoliopsida, order Ranunculales, family Ranunculaceae.

---

anemone

Any of about 120 species of perennial plants that make up the genus Anemone, in the buttercup family, many of which are cultivated for their colourful flowers. Though found throughout the world, anemones are most common in woodlands and meadows of the northern temperate zone. Many varieties of the tuberous poppylike anemone A. coronaria are grown for the garden and florist trade. Popular spring-flowering species include A. apennina, A. blanda, and A. pavonina. Other species, such as the Japanese anemone (A. hupehensis), are favourite border plants for autumn flowering. The European wood anemone, A. nemorosa, causes blistering of the skin and was once used as an ingredient in medicines. Anemones are also known colloquially as pasqueflowers or windflowers.

---

anemone

any ranunculaceous woodland plant of the genus Anemone of N temperate regions, such as the white-flowered A. nemorosa (wood anemone or windflower). Some cultivated anemones have lilac, pale blue, pink, purple, or red flowers. See also pasqueflower. Compare sea anemone (an animal).

---

anemone

ordered from Flora’s court. [Gk. Myth.: Flora Symbolica, 172]

See : Banishment

---

Anemone

(also anemony), a genus of perennial rhizome herbs (rarely semishrubs) of the family Ranunculaceae. The stem under the flowers usually has a spathe, ordinarily formed of three verticillate leaves. The flowers are variously colored and are either single or gathered in cymose inflorescences. There are about 150 species on plains and in mountain regions of both hemispheres. In the USSR there are more than 45 species; some of them, including the yellow wood anemone (A. ranunculoides) and the wood anemone (A. nemorosa), are widespread early spring flowers. Many species, including A. coronaria and A. japonica, are decoratives; most members of the genus are poisonous. Sometimes the genus Anemone is united with the genus Pulsatilla.

REFERENCE

Mnogoletnie tsvety otkrytogo grunta. Moscow, 1959.

M. E. KIRPICHNIKOV