Wood anemone (Anemone quinquefolia L.)

[Bob Coutant]

I have seen this plant in my woods before, but had never noticed a flower until today. It doesn’t show up at either mywildflowers.com or the ODNR wildflower site. The leaves are similar in shape to cut-leaf toothwort, but they are both wider and longer. Unlike cut-leaf toothwort, there is just a single flower on each of the 8-10 plants that I found. The flower is about 1-inch across.

Any suggestions would be appreciated. [see posts below]

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[Pa]

Bob, that looks like some sort of anemone to me, but I'll get my wife to look at it.

 

[midocr]

I would guess Wood Anemone?

 

[Pa]

Bob, Mrs. T. scratched her head over this one. She suggests you compare to pictures of the wood anemone.

 

[Bob Coutant]

I would guess Wood Anemone?

Bob, Mrs. T. scratched her head over this one. She suggests you compare to pictures of the wood anemone.

Mike, Jim (and Beth) -- THANKS

The leaves had me confused, but the USDA plant profile site had a sufficient number of photos that I could see the variability. Conclusion: wood anemone (Anemone quinquefolia L.)

 

[dossy]

It's a beautiful little flower.

 

[Bob Coutant]

It's a beautiful little flower.

Thanks dossy -- if it doesn't rain too hard tomorrow, I'll take a different lens and tripod and try to get a better photograph.:wink:

 

[Pa]

Please look at my post here from early April 2007.

 

[Bob Coutant]

Please look at my post here from early April 2007.

Jim, I'm not sure what I'm supposed to see. I put my rain gear on and went back out today -- found a larger patch of exactly the same plants. Each plant that was in bloom had just a single flower -- yours looks like each one has multiple flowers from common central stem. Somewhere, I read that there are several subspecies, but there was no detailed description given. ["The more I learn, the less I know.":wink:]

 

[Pa]

Jim, I'm not sure what I'm supposed to see. I put my rain gear on and went back out today -- found a larger patch of exactly the same plants. Each plant that was in bloom had just a single flower -- yours looks like each one has multiple flowers from common central stem. Somewhere, I read that there are several subspecies, but there was no detailed description given. ["The more I learn, the less I know.":wink:]

Bob, I tried to delete that post. My wife looked at my picture again and decided that she has misidentified it. It is NOT a wood anemone for just the reasons you give.

 

[Bob Coutant]

Bob, I tried to delete that post. My wife looked at my picture again and decided that she has misidentified it. It is NOT a wood anemone for just the reasons you give.

Hmm...
Then are these images at the USDA Plant Profile site mislabeled, or is there something here that I’m not getting.

 

[Pa]

Hmm...
Then are these images at the USDA Plant Profile site mislabeled, or is there something here that I’m not getting.

Bob, I think your flower is indeed a wood anemone. Those USDA pictures are a very close match it appears to me.

 

[Bob Coutant]

Bob, I think your flower is indeed a wood anemone. Those USDA pictures are a very close match it appears to me.

Thanks, Jim. I often wish I had taken more courses in both botany and entomology -- my interest did not exist in those areas BC (before camera):biggrin:. These days, Mr. Nikon tries to teach me something new every day.:wink:

 

[Pa]

Thanks, Jim. I often wish I had taken more courses in both botany and entomology -- my interest did not exist in those areas BC (before camera):biggrin:. These days, Mr. Nikon tries to teach me something new every day.:wink:

Bob, I know essentially no biology or botany. My wife is simply an enthusiastic amateur who has pursued the ID of every wildflower she has seen for the past 25 years. She owns a bookshelf of wildflower books, and seldom sees one she can't identify. My meager knowledge comes from her.

But like you, photography has led me to much new knowledge in areas I never dreamed I would find interesting.

I plan a post on this topic in the near future, probably in the General Discussion.

 

[Bob Coutant]

But like you, photography has led me to much new knowledge in areas I never dreamed I would find interesting.

I plan a post on this topic in the near future, probably in the General Discussion.

I look forward to seeing that!

 

[midocr]

Very interesting, listening to this conversation. Way back in high school (mid 70s), my biology teacher talked me into taking a elective summer school class on Field Ecology. That class was the beginning of my love affair and of my thirst for knowledge about nature and the outdoors. We spent quite a bit of time learning to identify all manner of plants, flowers, trees, birds, insects, fish, soil types and eco-systems. I couldn't get enough of it. As the years went by and life got in the way of these types of recreational pursuits, I got further away from nature and a lot of the knowledge was forgotten. When I got back into photography a few years ago, it took me back to the woods and fields that I loved from earlier in life. I was amazed that the knowledge that I thought had been forgotten was still there, just hidden and a little rusty. I too have been brought "back to nature" through my camera. And today, as it was all those years ago, I can't get enough of it!

 

[jadlh]

Beautiful, it reminds me of Hepaticas.

 

[Bob Coutant]

Beautiful, it reminds me of Hepaticas.

The flower - maybe to yes; the leaves - probably not
:biggrin:A quote from Wikipedia: "Some botanists include Hepatica within a wider interpretation of Anemone.":biggrin: