#winter windflower

[jillraggett]

Plant of the Day

Wednesday 9 April 2025

In this raised bed the well-drained, humus-rich soil is perfect for the spreading perennial Anemone blanda 'White Splendour' (winter windflower, wood anemone). This plant can be used for naturalising under deciduous trees and shrubs, where its early spring blooms attract pollinators. It is summer dormant after spring flowering.

Jill Raggett

[faguscarolinensis]

Anemone blanda / Grecian Windflower at the Sarah P. Duke Gardens at Duke University in Durham, NC

[globularia-alypum]

Anemone apennina subsp. blanda (Schott & Kotschy) Nyman

Agios Giorgios Keramidiou, Parnitha, Attica Greece, 24.2.2021

Noteworthy Characteristics

Anemone blanda, commonly called Grecian windflower, is a spreading, tuberous-rooted perennial that is native from southeastern Europe (including of course Greece) to the Caucausus and Turkey. It blooms in early spring. Plants typically grow to only 4-8” tall and feature attractive daisy-like, dark blue flowers, each of which contains 9-14 showy petal-like sepals, but no petals (apetalous). Tubers are knobby in appearance. Foliage is deeply cut and fern-like. Plants spread out to form a carpet of flowers in spring.

Genus name is often said to be derived from the Greek word anemos meaning wind.

Specific epithet means mild, pleasing or charming. The plants and flowers are very charming. Text source: https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/

Description

Anemone blanda is a tuberous perennial herb growing up to 15cm tall.  Scape is usually erect, cylindrical, purple and glabrous below bracts (involucre), densely hairy above towards flower.  Leaves in whorls, simple, broadly triangular, petiolate, glabrous on both surfaces, dark green above, purplish-green below, divided into irregularly lobed segments; petiole purplish or purplish-green, subglabrous or sparsely hairy.  Flowers actinomorphic, hermaphrodite, terminal, solitary, daisy-like; petals absent; sepals 8-21, petal-like, oblong-linear, glabrous, apex usually obtuse; involucre distant from the flower, consisting of 3 deeply dissected bracts; bracts 3-lobed, glabrous, with more or less  acute apex; stamens numerous, filaments unequal, greenish and glabrous, anthers pale yellow ; ovary superior, carpels numerous, flowering time February-April.  The fruit is an achene.  The plant is native to Western Asia (Caucasus, Turkey, Syria, and Cyprus).  A rare plant in Cyprus and it is found at calcareous stony hillsides and country roadsides, from 700-1200m alt.

Περιγραφή

Πολυετής και βολβώδης πόα ύψους μέχρι 15cm.  Βλαστός απλός, όρθιος, κυλινδρικός, πορφυρός και άτριχος κάτω από τα βράκτια, πυκνά τριχωτός πιο πάνω από αυτά προς το άνθος.  Φύλλα σε σπόνδυλο, απλά, πλατειά τριγωνικά, έμμισχα, άτριχα και στις δυο επιφάνειες, σκουροπράσινα στην πάνω και πορφυροπράσινα στην κάτω επιφάνεια, διαιρεμένα σε άνισα λοβωτά τμήματα.  Μίσχος πορφυροπράσινος και σχεδόν άτριχος.  Άνθη, ακτινόμορφα, ερμαφρόδιτα, μεμονωμένα και επάκρια, μοιάζουν με μαργαρίτες.  Πέταλα απουσιάζουν.  Σέπαλα 8-21, επιμήκη- γραμμοειδή, άτριχα και συνήθως πλατύκορφα.  Τα βράκτια βρίσκονται σε απόσταση από το άνθος, είναι 3 και βαθειά σχισμένα σχηματίζοντας λοβώδη τμήματα, με άνισους, άτριχους και μάλλον οξύκορφους λοβούς.  Στήμονες πολλοί με άνισο, πρασινωπό και γυμνό νήμα, ανθήρες με χλωμό κίτρινο χρώμα.  Ωοθήκη επιφυής με πολλά καρπόφυλλα.  Ανθίζει Φεβρουάριο-Απρίλιο. Ο καρπός είναι αχαίνιο.  Πατρίδα του η Δυτική Ασία (Καύκασος, Τουρκία, Συρία, Κύπρος).  Σπάνιο φυτό στην Κύπρο και απαντάται σε πετρώδεις ασβεστολιθικές εκτάσεις και κατά μήκος αγροτικών δρόμων από 700-1200m υψόμετρο. Source : https://savvastryfonosplants.com/anemone-blanda/

We found this beautiful Anemone flowering just besides the snowy parts of the path, it's delicate blue flowers with many slim petal like sepals and hairy stems are easily distinguished.

[faguscarolinensis]

Anemone blanda / Grecian Windflower at the Sarah P. Duke Gardens at Duke University in Durham, NC

[jillraggett]

Plant of the Day

Friday 19 April 2024

In the shade of a woodland garden the Anemone blanda (winter windflower, Balkan anemone) were flowering. The flowers are an intense blue, but the species can produce shades of pink and white. This spreading perennial here contrasts with the silver evergreen foliage of Lamium maculatum 'Beacon Silver' (spotted deadnettle).

Jill Raggett