Anemone hepatica

Anemone hepatica
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
Order:	Ranunculales
Family:	Ranunculaceae
Genus:	Anemone
Species:	A. hepatica
Binomial name
Anemone hepatica L.
Synonyms
Anemone acuta (Pursh) Vail. ex Britton Anemone acutiloba (DC.) G.Lawson Anemone praecox Salisb. Anemone transylvanica Heuff. Anemone triloba Stokes Hepatica acuta (Pursh) Britton Hepatica acutiloba DC. Hepatica anemonoides Vest Hepatica asiatica Nakai Hepatica hepatica (L.) H.Karst. nom. inval. Hepatica hepatica var. albiflora (R.Hoffm.) Farw. Hepatica insularis Nakai Hepatica nobilis Schreb. non Mill. Hepatica nobilis f. acutiloba (DC.) Beck Hepatica nobilis f. albiflora (R.Hoffm.) Steyerm. Hepatica nobilis f. hypopurpurea (Makino) Nakai Hepatica nobilis f. lutea Kadota Hepatica nobilis f. plena (Fernald) Steyerm. Hepatica nobilis f. pubescens (M.Hiroe) Kadota Hepatica nobilis f. rosea (R.Hoffm.) Steyerm. Hepatica nobilis f. variegata (Makino) Nakai Hepatica nobilis var. acuta (Pursh) Steyerm. Hepatica nobilis var. asiatica (Nakai) H.Hara Hepatica nobilis var. japonica Nakai Hepatica nobilis var. nipponica Nakai Hepatica triloba Choix

Anemone hepatica (common hepatica, liverwort,kidneywort, pennywort) is a herbaceous perennial growing from a rhizome in the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae), native to woodland in temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere.

The taxonomy of the genus Anemone and its species is not fully resolved, but the latest phylogenetic studies of many species of Anemone and related genera indicate that Hepatica should be included under Anemone because of similarities both in molecular attributes and other shared morphologies.

Anemone hepatica grows 5–15 cm (2–6 in) high. Leaves and flowers emerge directly from the rhizome, not from a stem above ground.

The leaves have three lobes and are fleshy and hairless, 7–9 cm (2 ³⁄₄–3 ¹⁄₂ in) wide and 5–6 cm (2–2 ¹⁄₄ in) long. The upper side is dark green with whitish stripes and the lower side is violet or reddish brown. Leaves emerge during or after flowering and remain green through winter.

The flowers are blue, purple, pink, or white and appear in winter or spring. They have five to ten oval showy sepals and three green bracts.

Plants

Flowers

Close-up of pistils in the center of the flower

Flower base with green bracts

New leaves in spring

Hepatica flowers only produce pollen. In North America, the flowers first attract Lasioglossum sweat bees and small carpenter bees looking in vain for nectar. Then when the stamens begin to release pollen, the bees return to collect and feed on pollen. Mining bees sometimes visit the flowers, but prefer flowers that produce both nectar and pollen.

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Wikipedia