''Anemone hepatica'' (

syn. The Botanical and Zoological Codes of nomenclature treat the concept of synonymy differently. * In botanical nomenclature, a synonym is a scientific name that applies to a taxon that (now) goes by a different scientific name. For example, Linna ...

''Hepatica nobilis''), the common hepatica, liverwort, kidneywort, or pennywort, is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. They include all forbs (flowering plants without a woody stem), grasses and grass-like plants, a vast majority of ...

in the buttercup

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

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 ...

, native to woodland in

temperate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout t ...

regions of the Northern Hemisphere. This

herbaceous Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition ...

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 ...

grows from a rhizome.

Description

Hepatica nobilis flowers - blue and pink - Keila

''Anemone hepatica'' grows 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, wide and 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

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 The term ''sepalum'' was coined ...

s and three green bracts.

Taxonomy

The taxonomy of the genus ''Anemone'' and its species is not fully resolved, but

phylogenetic In biology, phylogenetics (; from Greek φυλή/ φῦλον [] "tribe, clan, race", and wikt:γενετικός, γενετικός [] "origin, source, birth") is the study of the evolutionary history and relationships among or within groups o ...

studies of many species of ''Anemone'' and related genera indicate that species of the genus ''

Hepatica ''Hepatica'' (hepatica, liverleaf, or liverwort) is a genus of herbaceous perennials in the buttercup family, native to central and northern Europe, Asia and eastern North America. Some botanists include ''Hepatica'' within a wider inter ...

'' should be included under ''Anemone'' because of similarities both in molecular attributes and other shared morphologies. The circumscription of the taxon is also debated, some authors listing the North American var. ''acuta'' and var. ''obtusa'', while other list them as the separate species ''A. acutiloba'' and ''A. americana'', respectively.

Varieties

Varieties of ''Anemone hepatica'' that are sometimes recognized include: * ''Anemone hepatica'' var. ''japonica'', a synonym of ''Hepatica nobilis'' var. ''japonica'' , is native to the

Russian Far East The Russian Far East (russian: Дальний Восток России, r=Dal'niy Vostok Rossii, p=ˈdalʲnʲɪj vɐˈstok rɐˈsʲiɪ) is a region in Northeast Asia. It is the easternmost part of Russia and the Asian continent; and is admin ...

, China,

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 Japan * ''Anemone hepatica'' var. ''acuta'', a synonym of ''

Hepatica acutiloba ''Hepatica acutiloba'', the sharp-lobed hepatica, is a herbaceous flowering plant in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae. It is sometimes considered part of the genus '' Anemone'', as ''Anemone acutiloba'', ''A. hepatica'', or ''A. nobilis''. Eac ...

'' , is native to eastern North America * ''Anemone hepatica'' var. ''obtusa'', a synonym of ''

Hepatica americana ''Hepatica americana'', the round-lobed hepatica, is a herbaceous Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and bienn ...

'' , is native to eastern North America Asian liverleaf.jpg, ''Anemone hepatica'' var. ''japonica''

Distribution and habitat

It is found in woods, thickets and meadows, especially in the mountains of continental Europe, North America and Japan.

Ecology

Hepatica flowers produce pollen but no nectar. In North America, the flowers first attract ''

Lasioglossum The sweat bee genus ''Lasioglossum'' is the largest of all bee genera, containing over 1700 species in numerous subgenera worldwide.Gibbs, J., et al. (2012)Phylogeny of halictine bees supports a shared origin of eusociality for ''Halictus'' and ...

'' sweat bees and small carpenter bees looking in vain for nectar. Then when the

stamen The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filam ...

s begin to release pollen, the bees return to collect and feed on pollen.

Mining bee ''Andrena'' is a genus of bees in the family Andrenidae. With over 1,500 species, it is one of the largest genera of animals. It is a strongly monophyletic group that is difficult to split into more manageable divisions; currently, ''Andrena'' is ...

s sometimes visit the flowers, but prefer flowers that produce both nectar and pollen.

Toxicity

Like other Ranunculaceae, fresh liverwort contains

protoanemonin Protoanemonin (sometimes called anemonol or ranunculol) is a toxin found in all plants of the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae). When the plant is wounded or macerated, the unstable glucoside found in the plant, ranunculin, is enzymatically broken ...

and is therefore slightly toxic. By drying the herb, protoanemonin is

dimerize A dimer () (''di-'', "two" + ''-mer'', "parts") is an oligomer consisting of two monomers joined by bonds that can be either strong or weak, covalent or intermolecular. Dimers also have significant implications in polymer chemistry, inorganic chem ...

d to the non-toxic

anemonin Anemonin is a compound found in plants of the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae). It is the dimerization product of the toxin protoanemonin and easily reacts with water to a dicarboxylic acid. The name of the substance comes from the plant genus ...

Uses

Medieval

herbalist Herbal medicine (also herbalism) is the study of pharmacognosy and the use of medicinal plants, which are a basis of traditional medicine. With worldwide research into pharmacology, some herbal medicines have been translated into modern remedies ...

s believed it could be used to treat liver diseases, and is still used in alternative medicine today. Other modern applications by herbalists include treatments for

pimple A pimple is a kind of comedo that results from excess sebum and dead skin cells getting trapped in the pores of the skin. In its aggravated state, it may evolve into a pustule or papules. Pimples can be treated by acne medications, antibiotics, ...

bronchitis Bronchitis is inflammation of the bronchi (large and medium-sized airways) in the lungs that causes coughing. Bronchitis usually begins as an infection in the nose, ears, throat, or sinuses. The infection then makes its way down to the bronchi ...

and

gout Gout ( ) is a form of inflammatory arthritis characterized by recurrent attacks of a red, tender, hot and swollen joint, caused by deposition of monosodium urate monohydrate crystals. Pain typically comes on rapidly, reaching maximal intens ...

. Under the name ''Hepatica nobilis'', which is now regarded as a synonym, this plant has gained the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (No ...

Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established annual award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. History The Award of Garden Merit ...

Culture

It is the official flower of the

Sweden Democrats The Sweden Democrats ( sv , Sverigedemokraterna ; SD ) is a nationalist and right-wing populist political party in Sweden. As of 2022, it is the largest member of Sweden's right-wing governing bloc to which it provides confidence and supply ...

political party in Swedish politics.

Gallery

File:Ranuncolaceae - Anemone hepatica-2.JPG File:Anemone hepatica in the Horsan nature reserve.jpg File:Ranuncolaceae - Anemone hepatica.JPG File:Sinilill, makro.jpg File:Hepatica nobilis Kelchblätter W.jpg File:Hepatica nobilis kz1.jpg

References

External links

*
Flora of Pennsylvania
{{Taxonbar, from1=Q15613598, from2=Q161050

hepatica ''Hepatica'' (hepatica, liverleaf, or liverwort) is a genus of herbaceous perennials in the buttercup family, native to central and northern Europe, Asia and eastern North America. Some botanists include ''Hepatica'' within a wider inter ...

Medicinal plants of Europe Medicinal plants of North America Flora of Europe Flora of Asia Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Flora of Eastern Canada Flora of the Northeastern United States Flora of the North-Central United States Flora of the Southeastern United States Flora without expected TNC conservation status