ANEMONE HORTENSIS subsp. HELDREICHII

Family and Genus:- See- RANUNCULACEAE

Common Names:- None

Homotypic Synonyms:- Anemone stellata, Anemone stellata var. heldreichii.

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.

Hortensis (L) Cultivated, of the garden.

Heldreichii (L) After Theodor Heinrich Hermann von Heldreich (1822-

1902). Director of the Athens Botanical Garden.

General description:- Short to medium perennial.reaching on average 20-40 cm.

height.

Stem:-

1) Erect and somewhat tomentose.

Leaves:-

1) Basal, petiolate, 5-10 cm long palmate or with 3-5 toothed lobes,

a) outer basal, suborbicular in outline with primary segments divided less than

halfway into subentirer toothed lobes.

2) Cauline, linear-lanceolate, entire or rarely with 1-3 teeth.

Flowers:-

1) Solitary, fragrant and ranging in colour from white-bluish or mauve to red-purple,

3-6 cm. Æ. with numerous bluish or violet stamens and blue anthers.

2) Petals, 12-20 lanceolate, acute.

Key features:-

1) Stems, simple.

2) Cauline leaves, undivided or almost so.

3) Perianth-segments, 12-19, narrowly elliptical.

Click here for a glossary of terms used

Habitat:- Dry open shrubby vegetation, open woodland and olive groves. 0-1000(-

1800) m.

Distribution:- Endemic; common in Crete, scattered in Karpathos and Kasos.

Flowering time:- (Dec-)Feb to early May.

Photos by:- Steve Lenton