Canada Anemone, Anemone canadensis L., Native Minnesota Wildflower plant, Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden

	Plants of the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden
	Common Name	Scientific Name	Plant Family	Garden Location	Prime Season
	Canada Anemone	Anemone canadensis L.	Buttercup (Ranunculaceae)	Woodland and Upland	Late Spring and Early Summer
Other names and notes	Large (to 1 1/2") solitary white flowers on tall stems above a whorl of three stalkless stem leaves that are deeply lobed and opposite with the lower basal leaves (when they exist) long stalked and deeply palmately divided into 3 segments that are toothed. Total plant height to 3 feet. Sepals only, no petals, usually of 5 but there can be significant variation. Fruit at maturity is a dry fuzzy seed. Blooms in late spring, usually around June 1st and continues into early summer. Found in parts of the Garden in large groups as they spread by underground rootstocks, it is a plant of open woodlands and cool moist prairies. In the home garden it can make a good groundcover beneath trees and shrubs but in a restricted setting it needs control due to its spreading habit.

Notes: Canada Anemone is not indigenous to the Garden area, but is an addition. This plant was listed on Martha Crone's 1951 inventory of plants in the Garden at that time. Reported as native to all Minnesota Counties except Wadena County. Eloise Butler wrote of the plants characteristics: "After the Pasque flower, our most conspicuous anemone is the canadensis, once known as the pennsylvanica. On account of a similarity of leaf it is often taken for a white geranium. The anemone, for instance, has no corolla; the white floral leaves are sepals. The Garden Magazine for July has a paper on anemones, especially recommending this species for plantings, and emphasizing the value of white flowers for harmonizing discordant colors and for toning down the hot and violent reds and yellows and outrageous magentas." Published in the Minneapolis Sunday Tribune July 9, 1911

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References: Plant characteristics are generally from sources 15, 16, 30, 31, 33, W2 & W3. Distribution principally from W2 and also 31, 34 and W1. Planting history generally from 1, 4 & 4a. Other sources by specific reference. See Reference List for details.

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