Appearance
''Anemone hepatica'' grows 5–15 cm high. Leaves and flowers emerge directly from the rhizome, not from a stem above ground.The leaves have three lobes and are fleshy and hairless, 7–9 cm wide and 5–6 cm 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 sepals and three green bracts.
Distribution
It is found in woods, thickets and meadows, especially in the mountains of continental Europe, North America and Japan.Habitat
It is found in woods, thickets and meadows, especially in the mountains of continental Europe, North America and Japan.Hepatica flowers produce pollen but no nectar. In North America, the flowers first attract ''Lasioglossum'' sweat bees and small carpenter bees looking in vain for nectar. Then when the stamens begin to release pollen, the bees return to collect and feed on pollen. Mining bees sometimes visit the flowers, but prefer flowers that produce both nectar and pollen.Defense
Like other Ranunculaceae, fresh liverwort contains protoanemonin and is therefore slightly toxic. By drying the herb, protoanemonin is dimerized to the non-toxic anemonin.Uses
Medieval herbalists 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 pimples, bronchitis and gout.Under the name ''Hepatica nobilis'', which is now regarded as a synonym, this plant has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
Cultural
It is the official flower of the Sweden Democrats political party in Swedish politics.References:
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