''Anemonastrum flaccidum'', the flaccid anemone or soft windflower, is a plant species in the family

Ranunculaceae Ranunculaceae (buttercup or crowfoot family; Latin "little frog", from "frog") is a family of over 2,000 known species of flowering plants in 43 genera, distributed worldwide. The largest genera are '' Ranunculus'' (600 species), '' Delphiniu ...

. It is a

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

growing to 0.1 m (0ft 4in).

Features

Depending on the region, it flowers between March and June. The flowers are about 2 cm in diameter with white

calyx Calyx or calyce (plural "calyces"), from the Latin ''calix'' which itself comes from the Ancient Greek ''κάλυξ'' (''kálux'') meaning "husk" or "pod", may refer to: Biology * Calyx (anatomy), collective name for several cup-like structures ...

. Many stems have two flower stalks characteristically extending from one stem, and this is the origin of the plant's Japanese name (literally, 'two-flowered plant'). The plant spreads with

rhizomes In botany and dendrology, a rhizome (; , ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow hori ...

, and so it often forms communities.

Range

''Anemonastrum flaccidum'' occurs naturally along the

Amur River The Amur (russian: река́ Аму́р, ), or Heilong Jiang (, "Black Dragon River", ), is the world's tenth longest river, forming the border between the Russian Far East and Northeastern China ( Inner Manchuria). The Amur proper is long ...

; in

Sakhalin Sakhalin ( rus, Сахали́н, r=Sakhalín, p=səxɐˈlʲin; ja, 樺太 ''Karafuto''; zh, c=, p=Kùyèdǎo, s=库页岛, t=庫頁島; Manchu: ᠰᠠᡥᠠᠯᡳᠶᠠᠨ, ''Sahaliyan''; Orok: Бугата на̄, ''Bugata nā''; Nivkh: ...

; in central, eastern and southern China; in

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republi ...

and in Japan. It is sometimes grown as an

ornamental plant Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that ...

in places such as Sweden.

Habitat

It is found in moist places out of direct sunlight (full shade or semi-shade) and near streams and ravines in loose peaty soils.

Gallery

File: Anemone flaccida (with scale).jpg, Flower (with scale) File: Anemone flaccida (5 sepals).JPG, Flower close-up File: Anemone flaccida (Montage by sepals).jpg, Montage of sepals File: Anemone flaccida (leaf).JPG, Leaf File: Hepatica (Anemone flaccida).webm, In a park in Tokyo

References

Anemone flaccida (flaccid anemone)

External links

Anemone flaccida - F.Schmidt.
{{Taxonbar, from=Q89082915 flaccidum