Family |
Ranunculaceae
Anemone coronaria
L.
Anemone coronaria L.
(Nouvelle Flore du Liban et de la Syrie, vol. 2, Pl. XI nº 2; 1983)
Life-form & habit: Perennial herb with a short rhizome, pubescent and green overall, producing a few basal leaves and a single flowering stem.
Leaves: Basal leaves long-petiolate, ternate; segments divided again into pinnatipartite lobes, either deeply laciniate (typical western Mediterranean forms) or shortly incised-dentate (var. incisa Boiss.).
Inflorescence & flowers: Erect flowering stem 7–35 cm tall, pubescent, bearing an involucre above mid-height of three sessile, dissected leaves. Solitary terminal flowers 3–9 cm in diameter. Usually 6 sepals, broadly elliptical, rounded at apex, variably pubescent outside, showing a range of colors: bright scarlet, pale bluish-violet, white-pink, or pure white. Numerous stamens with glabrous filaments and long dark-purple anthers.
Fruit: Woolly achenes prolonged by a long persistent style.
Phenology: Flowers from November to April depending on variety.
Habitat & elevation: Fallow lands and degraded woods.
Lebanese distribution:
var. phoenicea: Common along the coast and inland: Saïda, Beirut, Nahr-el-Kelb, Tripoli, ‘Aley, Bkerké, Mansouriyé, Deir Tamiche, Hasroun, Zahlé, Ta'naïl.
var. cyanea: Very common on coast and lower hills: Ras Jedra, Khaldé, Besallim, Bhannès, Harissa, Qartaba road, Bhamra, Lattaquié.
var. roşea: Scattered in Kesrouan: Jounieh, Zouk Mikhayel, Ghosta, Ghazir, Ghebalé.
var. alba: Rare, found in Jab. Qasyoun and Soueida.
Native range : Albania, Algeria, Baleares, Bulgaria, Corse, Cyprus, East Aegean Is., Egypt, France, Greece, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Kriti, Lebanon-Syria, Libya, NW. Balkan Pen., Palestine, Portugal, Sardegna, Sicilia, Sinai, Spain, Transcaucasus, Tunisia, Türkey, Türkey-in-Europe
Introduced into : Great Britain, Réunion