Adonis brevistyla Franch.

Family Description

Annual or perennial herbs, erect or stoloniferous, rarely shrubs or woody climbers. Leaves basal and on stems, alternate, rarely opposite, entire or palmately, ternately, or pinnately dissected, exstipulate or petioles sometimes broadened into stipule-like auricles at base. Hairs when present simple. Inflorescence 1-flowered, cymose, racemose or paniculate. Flowers actinomorphic or zygomorphic, bisexual or rarely unisexual (plant dioecious). Sepals 3-8, mostly 5, free, often showy and petaloid. Petals sometimes absent, 1-mant, free, often nectariferous, sometimes inconspicuous. Stamens many, rarely 8-20. Carpels 1-many, superior, free or shortly cunnate at base, ovules1, basal or few-many, marginal. Fruit a cluster of 1-seeded indehiscent achenes or few-to many-seeded follicles dehiscing along dorsal suture, rarely a berry

Genus Description

Perennial herbs with erect stems. Leaves basal and alternate on stems, much divided into linear segments. Flowers actinomorphic, solitary, terminal. Sepals 5-6. Petals 8-16, nectar-pits absent. Stamens numerous. Carpels many, style short. Fruit a cluster of achenes.

Species description

Stems erect, 20-40cm. Leaves ovate in outline, 5-10 x 3-8cm, tripinnatisect into narrow acuminate lobes, glabrous; petioles up to 10cm. Flowers solitary at branch or stem ends, pedicel (i.e portion of stem above uppermost leaf) 1.5-6cm. Sepals elliptic, 10-20 x 3-4mm, greenish. Petals obovate, 1.2-2.5 x 0.5-1cm, white or yellow, sometimes tinged with blue outside. Stamens orange-yellow. Achenes ovoid, c 4 x 3mm, sparsely pubescent, tapering above into style c 1mm.