Leaf
Alain Bigou, Tela Botanica · CC BY-SA 2.0
Wood anemone
Anemone nemorosa L.
Also known as: Windflower
Family: Ranunculaceae
10 to 25 cm tall
Cool woodland understorey, spring carpets before the trees come into leaf
Flowering: March – May
Part shade
Shade
Hardy to -15°C
❓ How do you recognise this plant?
Forms vast white carpets on the woodland floor before the trees cast shade.
🍃 Leaves
Cut into 3 deeply toothed leaflets, whorled beneath the flower
🌸 Flowers
White, sometimes tinged with pink on the back, solitary
🍎 Fruits
Small group of hairy achenes
🪵 Bark
Herbaceous perennial with a creeping rhizome, often forming carpets.
🗺️ Distribution
Europe; very common in carpets in deciduous woodland in spring, before the trees come into leaf.
🐝 Value for pollinators
Early flowers without nectar but rich in pollen, visited by the first bees and hoverflies of spring.
✂️ Horticultural uses
Spring ground cover in woodland and shaded rockeries; naturalises easily into dense carpets.
⚠️ Possible toxicity
Toxic, contains protoanemonin (like other Ranunculaceae); irritating on skin contact and causes digestive upset if ingested. Avoid any contact with the eyes.
🌿 Other Ranunculaceae to discover
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.
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