Lanceleaf Anemone
Anemone lancifolia
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CLASSIFICATION: What’s in a name?
Scientific Name: Anemone lancifolia. The species name, lancifolia, is a combination of two Latin words – lancea, meaning lance, and folium, meaning leaf. Formerly considered a subspecies of Anemone quinquefolia known as Anemone quinquefolia var. lancifolia. Even scientific names can be changed as scientists learn more about plants and their relationships to one another!
Common Name: Lanceleaf Anemone, Mountain Anemone. Its lance-shaped leaves and common occurrence in the mountains lead to these two common names. Have you ever seen a plant with a cluster of fruit that reminds you of a thimble? Thimbleweed is a common name used for plants with this characteristic, and Anemone lancifolia is sometimes called mountain thimbleweed.1
Family: Ranunculaceae (Buttercup family) Plants in the buttercup family usually have leaves on a stalk that are divided (cut or lobed). The flowers are radially symmetric, have 3-6+ petal-like sepals (green, leaf-like structure surrounding the petals), up to 13 petals, and produce nectar. Fruits are often made up of lots of little separate fruitlets clustered together. Aside from many species of buttercup, some other well-known spring-blooming plants in this family include rue-anemone (Thalictrum thalictroides), round-lobed hepatica (Hepatica americana), and dwarf larkspur (Delphinium tricorne).2
IDENTIFICATION: What does it look like?
Average Height: from 4” to 8”
Description: A perennial plant that grows from horizontal rhizomes (underground stems). Leaves grow both basally and near the top of the stem. The leaves are toothed and divided into 3 parts (called leaflets) where each leaflet measures 1½-2½” long and 1-2” wide. The terminal leaflet (at the tip) is broadest at or below the middle and its serrations end below the middle of the leaf. The stem reaches 2-3” beyond the leaves where a single flower with 5 white sepals grows. The fruiting parts are clustered together in a spheric head.1,2,3
Bloom time: Mar – May
Notes: This species can overlap with a very similar species, the wood anemone (Anemone quiquefolia var. quinquefolia). Remember that the Latin word folium means leaf? What about quinque? That means “five” and gives us a clue to one of the differences between these species. A. quinquefolia var. quinquefolia has leaves with 5 lobes rather than 3. Additionally, the leaves of A. lancifolia are broadest at or below the middle and have edges that are toothed to below the middle, while those of A. quinquefolia var. quinquefolia are only toothed above the middle and are also broadest at or above the middle.1
LOCATION: Where is it at home?
Range: Rare in the Piedmont and Coastal Plain, this plant is most common in the mountains.2,4 Its range outside of Virginia is also more limited with records in from PA to SC and west only as far as KY.25 There are not many places to see this plant in Albemarle!
Geology/Soil: Can be found growing in nutrient-rich soils which include high levels of calcium, magnesium, and potassium, but also grows well in nutrient-poor soils.2,4
Habitat: Most strongly associated with moist to semi-moist forests, but can also be found in seepage swamp hummocks.2,4
CONNECTIONS: What are its relationships to other plants, animals, and humans?
Flora associations: Here at Riverview Park, you can see it growing near other spring-blooming wildflowers such as Virginia waterleaf (Hydrophyllum virginianum var. virginianum), star chickweed (Stellaria pubera), and cut-leaf toothwort (Cardamine concatenata).
Fauna associations: Little is known about what insects or other animals might associate with this plant, although clearly they do! Keep your eyes open and see what you can observe.
Human associations: The roots of the closely related species Anemone quinquefolia are used by the Cherokee people as a medicine for attracting love.6
We want these plants to thrive and for everyone who gets to visit the park to enjoy them, so remember – don’t pick flowers or other parts of the plant!!
Bibliography & Definitions
1 LeGrand, H., B. Sorrie, and T. Howard. 2024. Vascular Plants of North Carolina [Internet]. Raleigh (NC): North Carolina Biodiversity Project and North Carolina State Parks, auth1.dpr.ncparks.gov/flora/species_account.php?id=2247. Accessed 27 Feb. 2024.
2 Weakley, A.S., J.C. Ludwig, and J.F. Townsend. 2012. Flora of Virginia. Bland Crowder, ed. Foundation of the Flora of Virginia Project, Inc., Richmond. Fort Worth: Botanical Research Institute of Texas Press, , pp. 1155-1157.
3 Dutton, Bryan E., et al. “Anemone Lancifolia – FNA.” Floranorthamerica.org, 5 Nov. 2020, floranorthamerica.org/Anemone_lancifolia. Accessed 27 Feb. 2024.
4 “Digital Atlas of the Virginia Flora | Anemone Lancifolia Pursh.” Vaplantatlas.org, vaplantatlas.org/index.php?do=plant&plant=2532&search=Search. Accessed 27 Feb. 2024.
5 “NatureServe Explorer 2.0.” Explorer.natureserve.org, explorer.natureserve.org/Taxon/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.149471/Anemone_lancifolia. Accessed 27 Feb. 2024.
6 Banks, William H, et al. Plants of the Cherokee: Medicinal, Edible, and Useful Plants of the Eastern Cherokee Indians. Gatlinburg, Tn, Great Smoky Mountains Association, 2004. pp.27-28.
Definitions:
Spring ephemeral: A perennial plant which grows early in the spring – before the trees grow leaves – to take advantage of the sunlight reaching the forest floor. In less than 2 months, the plant grows, blooms, and produces seed and then disappears from view as the leaves die back.