Anemone parviflora : Arctic Wind-flower

Scientific Name:

Kingdom: Plantae

Division:

• Tracheophyta (vascular)
• Spermatophyta (seed bearing)
Angiospermae (enclosed seed)

Class: Dicoteldonae (two seed-leaves)

Family: Ranunculaceae (Crowfoot/Buttercup Family)

Genera: Anemone (Wind-flower) (Gk. anemos = wind; possibly referring to the habitat of these plants in exposed windy places)

Species: parviflora (Lat. parvus= small + flos= flower; small flowered)

English Name(s):

Arctic Wind-flower, Northern Anemone, Few-flowered Windflower

First Nation Names:

Structure:

• Plant herbaceous (not woody) with colourless acrid (bitter) juice.
• Rhizomes (rootstock) slender, dark fibrilose.
• Stems 10-20cm high, white-pubescent (hairy).

Leaves:

• Basal leaves petioled (stalked), ternately divided, dark green, lustrous.
• Cauline (on stem) leaves, sessile (stalkless), whorled and forming a leafy involucrum (ring) below the flowers.

Reproductive Parts:

• Flowers single, perfect (bisexual) and of regular symmetry, 2-4cm in diamter.
• Sepals usually 6, petal-like, white tinged with blue beneath, silky.
• Petals lacking.
• Ovaries superior (above floral parts).

Seed:

• Fruiting head shperical in shape.
• Fruit a dry achene, 2-3mm long, densely woolly.
• Styles (female part) when in fruit 1.2-2.0mm long.

Not to Be Confused With:

• Anemone multifida (Cut-leaf Windflower) which can be distinguished by its tufted growth form, taller stature and can have up to 3 flowers.
• Anemone narcissiflora (Narcissus Windflower) which can be distinguished by its tufted growth form, taller stature, can have up to 5 flowers, and its elongated, glabrous achenes.
• Anemone drummondii (Many-headed Windflower) which can be distinguished by its tufted growth form.

Physiology:

• The fruits are dispersed by wind, with the hairy style acting as the organ of flight.

Life Cycle:

• Perennial

Seasonal Cycle:

• plants deciduous from rootstock.
• Generally finished blooming by mid-July.

Animal Uses:

• The flowers of these plants pruduce large amounts of pollen as a reward for insect pollinators, but very little nectar.
• Apparently Anemone (Windflower) species are not well liked as food by either domestic nor wild animals.

Habitat:

• Open spruce woods and river flats to alpine tundra.

Modern:

Industrial:

Medicinal:

• Plants are used by herbalists to treat abrasions, toothed ache and rheumatism.
• Plants contain the antibiotics anemonin and protoanemonin which are active against broad-spectrum bacteria.

Food:

• Caution: These plants are related to Delphinium and may cause simmilar poisoning. Anemone are listed as poisonous in many publications.

Traditional Gwich'in:

Folklore:

Industrial:

Medicinal:

Food:

Traditional Other:

Folklore:

• According to the Victorian Language of Flowers, Anemones symbolize berevity and expectation.
• Greeks legend says a beautiful nymph named Anemone was part of the entourage of chloris the goddess of flowers. She was lusted by the goddess's husband and was turned into a flower.
• Romans would pick the first Anemone of the year with the incantation "I gather thee for a remedy against disease".
• Some cultures believed breathing the air tainted by Anemone perfume would cause illness or breathing difficulties.

Industrial:

Medicinal:

• Both Victorians and Romans used these plants to cure sex related difficulties.
• Roots of these plants were boiled and the decoction was used to treat paralysis, without much effect, and used for rheumatism and melancholy.
• The cotton from ripe seed heads was burned on hot coals and the smoke was inhaled to relieve headaches.

Food: