Anemone hepatica
Encyclopedia
Anemone hepatica is a herbaceous
perennial
growing from a rhizome
in the buttercup
family
(Ranunculaceae), native to woodland
in temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere
.
, under the genus Hepatica
, based on differences from Anemone — the three bract
s below the sepal
s and lobed rather than cut, evergreen
leaves. But the latest phylogenetic
studies of many species of Anemone and related genera indicate that Hepatica should be included under Anemone because of similarities both in molecular attributes and other shared morphologies.
, not from a stem above ground.
The leaves have three lobes and are fleshy and hairless, 7 centimetre wide and 5 centimetre 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
s and three green bract
s.
The variety H. nobilis var. nobilis is native to Europe
.
and is therefore slightly toxic. By drying the herb, protoanemonin is dimerized to the non-toxic anemonin
.
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
s, bronchitis
and gout
.
political party, in Swedish politics. In Swedish
the flower is known as blåsippa.
Herbaceous plant
A herbaceous plant is a plant that has leaves and stems that die down at the end of the growing season to the soil level. They have no persistent woody stem above ground...
perennial
Perennial plant
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives for more than two years. The term is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter lived annuals and biennials. The term is sometimes misused by commercial gardeners or horticulturalists to describe only herbaceous perennials...
growing from a rhizome
Rhizome
In botany and dendrology, a rhizome is a characteristically horizontal stem of a plant that is usually found underground, often sending out roots and shoots from its nodes...
in the buttercup
Ranunculaceae
Ranunculaceae are a family of about 1700 species of flowering plants in about 60 genera, distributed worldwide....
family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
(Ranunculaceae), native to woodland
Woodland
Ecologically, a woodland is a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Woodlands may support an understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants including grasses. Woodland may form a transition to shrubland under drier conditions or during early stages of...
in temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere
Northern Hemisphere
The Northern Hemisphere is the half of a planet that is north of its equator—the word hemisphere literally means “half sphere”. It is also that half of the celestial sphere north of the celestial equator...
.
Taxonomy
The taxonomy of the genus Anemone and its species is not fully resolved. Anemone hepatica was formerly known as Hepatica nobilis Schreb.Johann Christian Daniel von Schreber
Johann Christian Daniel von Schreber , often styled I.C.D. von Schreber, was a German naturalist.-Career:He was elected Professor of Materia medica at the University of Erlangen in 1769....
, under the genus Hepatica
Hepatica
Hepatica is a genus of herbaceous perennials in the buttercup family, native to central and northern Europe, Asia and eastern North America...
, based on differences from Anemone — the three bract
Bract
In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis, or cone scale. Bracts are often different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of a different color, shape, or texture...
s below the sepal
Sepal
A sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms . Collectively the sepals form the calyx, which is the outermost whorl of parts that form a flower. Usually green, sepals have the typical function of protecting the petals when the flower is in bud...
s and lobed rather than cut, evergreen
Evergreen
In botany, an evergreen plant is a plant that has leaves in all seasons. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which completely lose their foliage during the winter or dry season.There are many different kinds of evergreen plants, both trees and shrubs...
leaves. But the latest phylogenetic
Phylogenetics
In biology, phylogenetics is the study of evolutionary relatedness among groups of organisms , which is discovered through molecular sequencing data and morphological data matrices...
studies of many species of Anemone and related genera indicate that Hepatica should be included under Anemone because of similarities both in molecular attributes and other shared morphologies.
Description
Anemone hepatica grows 5–15 cm (2–5.9 ) high. Leaves and flowers emerge directly from the rhizomeRhizome
In botany and dendrology, a rhizome is a characteristically horizontal stem of a plant that is usually found underground, often sending out roots and shoots from its nodes...
, not from a stem above ground.
The leaves have three lobes and are fleshy and hairless, 7 centimetre wide and 5 centimetre 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
Sepal
A sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms . Collectively the sepals form the calyx, which is the outermost whorl of parts that form a flower. Usually green, sepals have the typical function of protecting the petals when the flower is in bud...
s and three green bract
Bract
In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis, or cone scale. Bracts are often different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of a different color, shape, or texture...
s.
Varieties
- Hepatica nobilis Schreb. fo. lutea Kadota
- Hepatica nobilis Schreb. var. pubescens (M.Hiroe) Kadota
- Hepatica nobilis Schreb. var. acuta (Pursh) Steyermark (1960) (synonym = Anemone acutiloba (DC.) G. Lawson)
- Hepatica nobilis Schreb. var. asiatica (Nakai) H. Hara (1952) (synonym = Anemone hepatica var. asiatica (Nakai) H. Hara)
- Hepatica nobilis Schreb. var. japonica Nakai
- Hepatica nobilis Schreb. var. obtusa (Pursh) Steyermark (1960) (synonym = Anemone americana (DC.) H. Hara)
- Hepatica nobilis Schreb. var. pyrenaica (synonym = H. pyrenaica)
- Hepatica nobilis Schreb. var. pubescens (synonym = H. pubescens)
- Hepatica nobilis Schreb. var. hispanica Willk. & Lange.
- Hepatica nobilis Schreb. var. nobilis
The variety H. nobilis var. nobilis is native to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
Contents
Like other Ranunculaceae, fresh liverwort contains protoanemoninProtoanemonin
Protoanemonin is a toxin found in all plants of the buttercup family . On maceration, for example when the plant is wounded, it is produced by an enzymatic process from the glucoside ranunculin...
and is therefore slightly toxic. By drying the herb, protoanemonin is dimerized to the non-toxic anemonin
Anemonin
Anemonin is a compound found in plants of the buttercup family . It is the dimerization product of the toxin protoanemonin and is easily hydrolysed to a dicarboxylic acid....
.
Herbalism
Medieval herbalistHerbalist
An herbalist is:#A person whose life is dedicated to the economic or medicinal uses of plants.#One skilled in the harvesting and collection of medicinal plants ....
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
Pimple
A pimple, zit or spot is a kind of acne, and one of the many results of excess oil getting trapped in the pores. Some of the varieties are pustules or papules....
s, bronchitis
Bronchitis
Acute bronchitis is an inflammation of the large bronchi in the lungs that is usually caused by viruses or bacteria and may last several days or weeks. Characteristic symptoms include cough, sputum production, and shortness of breath and wheezing related to the obstruction of the inflamed airways...
and gout
Gout
Gout is a medical condition usually characterized by recurrent attacks of acute inflammatory arthritis—a red, tender, hot, swollen joint. The metatarsal-phalangeal joint at the base of the big toe is the most commonly affected . However, it may also present as tophi, kidney stones, or urate...
.
Political associations
It is the official flower of the Sweden DemocratsSweden Democrats
The Sweden Democrats is a political party in Sweden, founded in 1988. SD describes itself as a nationalist movement although others use the term far-right. Since 2005, its party chairman is Jimmie Åkesson, while Björn Söder is the party secretary and parliamentary group leader. An Anemone...
political party, in Swedish politics. In Swedish
Swedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
the flower is known as blåsippa.