ANEMONE CORONARIA

Family and Genus:- See- RANUNCULACEAE

Common Names:- Crown anemone

Homotypic Synonyms:- Anemone messarensis

Meaning:- Anemone (Gr) A name used by the Greek philosopher Theophrastus.

Possibly a corruption of the Semetic name Naaman for Adonis, from whose blood

sprung the crimson-flowered Anemone coronaria.

Coronaria (L) Crown.

General description:- Short to medium hairy perennial.

Stems:-

1) Flowering, with a whorl of 3(4) often with partially united leaves.

Leaves:-

1) Basal, long petiolate, trifoliate, leaflets palmate divided to the base forming

rosettes.

2) Cauline, sessile, in a whorl of 3 below the flower, deeply cut into narrow

divisions, dentate,

Flowers:-

1) Conspicuous, usually solitary.

2) Perianth-segments, 5-19, petaloid, imbricate,

3) Honey-leaves, absent.

4) Flowers, pink, red, blue, lavender, white or purple, often with a pale zone in the

centre, crateriform, 35-75mm.

5) Petals, 5-8, oval; anthers blue.

6) Styles, not elongating or feathery in fruit.

Fruit:-

1) Achenes, numerous. lanate, not winged.

Key features:-

1) Flowers, solitary, not yellow.

2) Achenes lanate, not winged.

3) Basal leaves, deeply cut.

Click here for a glossary of terms used

Habitat:- Seasonally damp habitats in dry open shrubby vegetation, grassy

hillslopes, olive groves and fallow fields. 0-700(-1200) m.

Distribution:- Scattered in W Greece, ± lacking in the interior. - Mediterranean.

region from the Balearic Islands to Palestine, Iraq and Iran. Widespread and

common on Crete.

Flowering time:- (Nov-)Jan-Apr.

Photos by:- Steve Lenton