Anemone quinquefolia (Wood Anemone) - photos and description
15 cm ruler for scale
Photo above is of the stem of a flowering plant.
General: Erect, single-stemmed woodland plant, with leaves in a whorl below the flower. Flower stalk pubescent and stems pubescent (note this differs from the description in Plants of the Western Boreal Forest and Aspen Parkland which lists the stems as nearly hairless).
Flowers: Single, bright white flowers up to 3 cm in diameter, with 5 or 6 white sepals (no petals).
Leaves: There are three, trifoliate, stalked leaves in a whorl below the flower. A single leaflet measured at 3.5 cm long and 1 cm wide. Top and bottom of leaves hairy,
Height: Height listed in Budd's Flora to 20 cm, we measured plants to 18 cm tall.
Habitat: Moist woodlands in the Boreal forest.
Abundance: Very rare, ranked as an S2 (as of 2021) by the Saskatchewan Conservation Data Centre.
Origin: Native.
Similar species: Can be distinguished from the very common Anemone canadensis by examining the stem leaves of both plants. The stem leaves of Anemone quinquefolia have petioles, while the stem leaves of A. canadensis are sessile.
When and where photographed: Photographed on June 18th in boreal forest in east central Saskatchewan, 450 km NE of our home in Regina, Saskatchewan.