Canada anemone

(Anemonastrum canadense)

Conservation Status
Canada anemone
 
  IUCN Red List

not listed

     
  NatureServe

N5? - Secure

SNR - Unranked

     
  Minnesota

not listed

     
           
Wetland Indicator Status
     
  Great Plains

FACW - Facultative wetland

     
  Midwest

FACW - Facultative wetland

     
  Northcentral & Northeast

FACW - Facultative wetland

     
           
 
Description
 
 

Canada anemone is an erect, perennial, 8 to 32 tall forb. It rises from the top of a persistent woody base (caudex) of an aerial shoot. The caudices rise from a node at or near the end of an ascending to horizontal, underground stem (rhizome).

Each plant produces a whorl of 1 to 5 basal leaves and a flowering stem.

Basal leaves are on 3 to 8½ long leaf stalks (petioles). The petioles are light green, round in cross section, and hairy. The leaf blades are circular in outline, 1½ to 4 long, and 2 to 6 wide. They are deeply divided into 3 primary lobes. The lateral two lobes are deeply divided into two secondary lobes. The terminal primary lobe and the lateral secondary lobes are lance-shaped or inversely lance-shaped, and to 13 16wide. The upper surface is medium to dark green and is sparsely covered with straight, silky, somewhat appressed hairs. The lower surface is pale green and sparsely to moderately hairy. The margins of each lobe are undivided and untoothed near the base, toothed with sharp, forward pointing teeth and shallowly to deeply cut on the terminal ½ to .

A single flowering stem rises from the caudex at the middle of the whorl of basal leaves. The stem is erect, light green, unbranched, and round in cross section. Below the middle it is sparsely covered with fine short hairs (puberulent) and long, soft, shaggy but unmatted hairs (villous). Toward the top it is densely villous. At the top of the flowering stem there is a whorl of 3 leaves.

The stem leaves are stalkless. The leaf blades are inversely triangular in outline, 13 16 to 4 long, and otherwise similar to basal leaves.

The inflorescence is 1 central and sometimes 1 or 2 lateral flowers rising from the whorl of basal leaves at the end of the stem. Each flower is solitary at the end of a long flower stalk (pedicel). The pedicels are 3 to 4½ long, light green, round in cross section, and hairy. The lateral pedicels, if any, have a pair of leaf-like appendages (bracts). The central pedicel does not.

Each flower is 1 to 1½ in diameter. There are no petals, 4 to 6 (usually 5) petal-like sepals, and 80 to 100 stamens with yellow anthers. The sepals are white, inversely egg-shaped, to ¾ long, and 3 16 to wide.

The infructescence is a dense, globe-shaped or egg-shaped fruiting head.

The fruit is an inversely egg-shaped to ellipse-shaped, to ¼ long , to ¼ wide seed capsule (achene). There is a persistent style (beak) but no tuft of hairs at the end of the achene.

 
     
 

Height

 
 

8 to 32

 
     
 

Flower Color

 
 

White

 
     
 

Similar Species

 
  Wood anemone (Anemone quinquefolia var. quinquefolia) is a shorter plant, no more than 8 tall. The leaves on the flowering stalk are stalked. The plant is found in shaded woods, not sunny meadow and prairies.  
     
 
Habitat
 
 

Wet to moderate moisture. Meadows, prairies, lake shores, streamsides. Full to partial sun.

 
     
 
Ecology
 
 

Flowering

 
 

May to August

 
     
 

Pests and Diseases

 
 

 

 
     
 
Use
 
 

 

 
     
 
Distribution
 
 

Distribution Map

 

Sources

2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 24, 28, 29, 30.

 
  3/14/2023      
         
 

Nativity

 
 

Native

 
         
 

Occurrence

 
 

Common

 
         
 
Taxonomy
 
  Kingdom Plantae (green algae and land plants)  
  Subkingdom Viridiplantae (green plants)  
  Infrakingdom Streptophyta (land plants and green algae)  
  Superdivision Embryophyta (land plants)  
  Division Tracheophyta (vascular plants)  
  Subdivision Spermatophytina (seed plants)  
  Class Magnoliopsida (flowering plants)  
  Superorder Ranunculanae  
 

Order

Ranunculales (buttercups, poppies, and allies)  
 

Family

Ranunculaceae (buttercups)  
  Subfamily Ranunculoideae (anemones, buttercups, larkspurs and allies)  
  Tribe Anemoneae (anemones and allies)  
 

Genus

Anemonastrum  
       
 

Genus
The genus Anemone has long been thought not to be composed of a common ancestral population and all of its descendants, not monophyletic. Several molecular phylogenetic studies published between 1994 and 2015 demonstrate the validity of this idea. A recent reassessment of Anemone and related genera (Mosyakin, S.L., 2016), based on those studies, suggested segregating four genera from Anemone. Most sources now accept the realignment.

Species
This species was originally described in 1768 by Carl Linnaeus as Anemone canadensis. In 2016 it was moved to the genus Anemonastrum.

 
       
 

Subordinate Taxa

 
       
       
 

Synonyms

 
 

Anemone canadensis

Anemone dichotoma var. canadensis

Anemone pensylvanica

Anemonidium canadense

 
       
 

Common Names

 
 

Canada anemone

Canadian anemone

meadow anemone

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glossary

Achene

A dry, one-chambered, single-seeded fruit, formed from a single carpel, with the seed attached to the membranous outer layer (wall) only by the seed stalk; the wall, formed entirely from the wall of the superior ovary, does not split open at maturity, but relies on decay or predation to release the contents.

 

Beak

A comparatively short and stout, narrow or prolonged tip on a thickened organ, as on some fruits and seeds.

 

Bract

Modified leaf at the base of a flower stalk, flower cluster, or inflorescence.

 

Caudex

A short, thickened, woody, persistent enlargement of the stem, at or below ground level, used for water storage.

 

Node

The small swelling of the stem from which one or more leaves, branches, or buds originate.

 

Pedicel

On plants: the stalk of a single flower in a cluster of flowers. On insects: the second segment of the antennae. On Hymenoptera and Araneae: the narrow stalk connecting the thorax to the abdomen: the preferred term is petiole.

 

Petiole

On plants: The stalk of a leaf blade or a compound leaf that attaches it to the stem. On ants and wasps: The constricted first one or two segments of the rear part of the body.

 

Rhizome

A horizontal, usually underground stem. It serves as a reproductive structure, producing roots below and shoots above at the nodes.

 

Sepal

An outer floral leaf, usually green but sometimes colored, at the base of a flower.

 

Villous

Covered with long, soft, fine, shaggy but unmatted hairs.

 
 
Visitor Photos
 
           
 

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Luciearl

 
    Canada anemone   Canada anemone  
           
    Canada anemone      
 

Kirk Nelson

 
    Canada anemone      
           
 

Seen by the trails around Snelling Lake and by the paved trail along the Minnesota River

 
    Canada anemone   Canada anemone  
 

Barbara Dodge

 
 

It is just the most amazing little prairie reserve.

 
    Canada anemone      
 

Wayne Rasmussen

 
    Canada anemone      
           
 
MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos
 
 

Habitat

 
    Canada anemone   Canada anemone  
           
    Canada anemone   Canada anemone  
           
 

Plant

 
    Canada anemone   Canada anemone  
           
    Canada anemone      
           
 

Inflorescence

 
    Canada anemone      
           
 

Flower

 
    Canada anemone   Canada anemone  
           
    Canada anemone      
           
 

Leaves

 
    Canada anemone      
           
 

Infructescence

 
    Canada anemone   Canada anemone  

 

Camera

     
 
Slideshows
 
  Time Lapse--Canada Anemone
typacsk
 
   
 
About

Uploaded on Jun 3, 2009

Time-lapse of Anemone plant growing in Nichols Park, Chicago. Photographed and assembled by Tyler Kerr for a class on prairie ecology.

 

 

slideshow

       
 
Visitor Videos
 
       
 

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Other Videos
 
  Canada Anemone (Anemone canadensis)
PrairieMoonNursery
 
   
 
About

Uploaded on Jun 8, 2010

http://www.prairiemoon.com - A lush patch of Canada Anemone; Anemone canadensis at Prairie Moon Nursery.

   
  Anemone Canada
raisingmyhand
 
   
 
About

Published on Jul 24, 2013

No description available.

   
  John Latimer Phenology Note - Canada Anemone
NowWatchingKAXE
 
   
 
About

Uploaded on Jul 20, 2009

KAXE Phenologist John Latimer talks about Canada Anemone. This is the first of what we hope to be many updates from John about the nature around us. We'll probably get better at it the more we do it...? John Latimer does a weekly Phenology Report every Thursday morning on KAXE.

   

 

Camcorder

 
 
Visitor Sightings
 
           
 

Report a sighting of this plant.

 
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  Luciearl
7/4/2019

Location: Lake Shore, Cass County

Canada anemone  
  Kirk Nelson
6/8/2017

Location: Crosby Farm Regional Park

Canada anemone  
  Barbara Dodge
5/30/2017

Location: Riverwalk, Lowertown, St. Paul

It is just the most amazing little prairie reserve.

Canada anemone  
  Kirk Nelson
5/29/2017

Location: Fort Snelling State Park

Seen by the trails around Snelling Lake and by the paved trail along the Minnesota River

Canada anemone  
  Wayne Rasmussen
5/30/2016

Location: Maplewood Nature Center

Canada anemone  
  David Ayer
6/23/2012

Location: Joseph A. Tauer Prairie SNA

   
           
 
MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings
 
 

Afton State Park

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Anna Gronseth Prairie

Antelope Valley SNA

Banning State Park

Blackhoof River WMA

Blanket Flower Prairie SNA

Blazing Star Prairie

Blue Devil Valley SNA

Blue Mounds State Park

Camden State Park

Cannon River Turtle Preserve SNA

Carpenter St. Croix Valley Nature Center

Cedar Mountain SNA

Cedar Rock SNA

Chippewa Prairie

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Compass Prairie SNA

Cottonwood River Prairie SNA

Crow Wing State Park

Crow-Hassan Park Reserve

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Englund Ecotone SNA

Felton Prairie SNA, Bicentennial Unit

Felton Prairie SNA, Shrike Unit

Felton WMA

Forestville/Mystery Cave State Park

Foxhome Prairie

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Itasca State Park

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Leif Mountain

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Margherita Preserve-Audubon Prairie

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Miller Prairie, West Unit

Minnesota Valley NWR, Chaska Unit

Mississippi River County Park

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Northern Tallgrass Prairie NWR, Pavia Unit

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Northern Tallgrass Prairie NWR, Spieker Unit

Northern Tallgrass Prairie NWR, Touch the Sky Prairie Unit

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Plover Prairie, East Unit

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Prairie Creek WMA, Koester Prairie Unit

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Racine Prairie SNA

Regal Meadow

Richard M. & Mathilde Rice Elliott SNA

Ritter Farm Park

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River Warren Outcrops SNA

Robert Ney Memorial Park Reserve

Rock Ridge Prairie SNA

Rockville County Park

St. Croix Savanna SNA

St. Croix State Park

Sandpiper Prairie SNA

Savage Fen SNA

Savanna Portage State Park

Schaefer Prairie

Schoolcraft State Park

Sedan Brook Prairie SNA

Seven Mile Creek County Park

Seven Springs WMA

Sheepberry Fen

Shooting Star Prairie SNA

Split Rock Creek State Park

Spring Prairie Preserve

Springbrook Nature Center

Staffanson Prairie

Strandness Prairie

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Tribute WMA

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Upper Sioux Agency State Park

Verlyn Marth Memorial Prairie SNA

Vermillion River WMA

Western Prairie SNA

William O’Brien State Park

Woodbury WMA

 

 

 

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