Tall anemone

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Tall anemone

Tall anemone

Tall anemone leaves

Tall anemone flower

Tall anemone fruiting head

Tall anemone

Tall anemone stem

Tall anemone leaf

Tall anemone

Morphology

Stem

Erect, stout, more or less densely hairy.

Leaves

Two types; usually whorls of 3; blades deeply 3-5-lobed; lobes rhombic-ovate, usually curved toward base, margins toothed or incised to below middle, undersurfaces flattened-hairy; basal leaves 2.4 to 8 inches wide, on stalks 5 to 14 inches long; involucral leaves 2-3, 2 to 5.6 inches, on stalks 1 to 3 inches long.

Inflorescence

Solitary flowers or in cymes; stalk of central flower often bearing secondary involucres.

Flower

1/2 to 1 inch across; sepals 5, petal-like, 1/4 to 1/2 inch long, whitish or greenish; leathery; petals absent; stamens numerous; pistils numerous, in central cylindrical, thimble-shaped cluster.

Fruit

Achenes, white-woolly, 1/12 to 1/8 inch long, borne in elliptic head .6 to 1.2 inch long, .4 to .75 inch thick.

Ecology

Habitat

Woods, prairies, riverbanks; dry rocky to moist soils.

Distribution

East 1/3 of Kansas

Practical Information

Uses

Native Americans steeped the roots and took the liquid to treat whooping cough, tuberculosis, and diarrhea; applied a poultice of root to boils; and used the smoke from burning seeds to revive someone who was unconscious. Iroquois men were said to have placed the roots under their pillows to foster dreams about the faithfulness of their wives.

Additional Notes