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Anemone blanda
Also called Balkan Anemone, Windflower, Greek Anemone, Grecian Windflower, Greek Thimbleweed, Greek Windflower
A small tuberous perennial with daisy-like blue, pink or white flowers over fern-like foliage, blooming in early spring. It naturalizes readily and is best planted in autumn in partial shade and moist, well-drained soil.
Anemonoides blanda, syn. Anemone blanda, the Balkan anemone, Grecian windflower, or winter windflower, is a species of flowering plant in the family Ranunculaceae. The species is native to southeastern Europe and the Middle East. The specific epithet blanda means "mild" or "charming". The genus name is derived from the Greek word anemos, or wind.
Anemonoides blanda should be planted in the autumn in partially shady areas, and in moist soil. It can also grow in full sun if the soil stays moist. It grows in any well-drained soil which dries out in summer; hence it is often used for underplanting deciduous trees which provide the necessary conditions. It rapidly colonizes any favored location. The plant is deciduous, meaning the flowers and leaves die in the early summer. The flowers attract bees, butterflies and other pollinators. This plant and its cultivar 'White Splendour', have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
It is considered to be poisonous if ingested in large quantities, and causes pain and irritation in the mouth. The plant can cause contact dermatitis by touching of the following poisonous parts of the plant: bark, flowers, fruits, leaves, roots, stems, and seeds. Some other symptoms of being poisoned are inflammation, blistering from contact with fresh sap, vomiting, and diarrhea.
The native range of Anemonoides blanda extends from southeastern Europe, through Turkey and Lebanon, to western Syria in the Middle East. The species has been introduced into Germany and elsewhere. There are numerous naturalized populations in Canada and the United States.
Herbalists in the Middle Ages used A. blanda as treatment for gout and headaches. Due to their toxicity, they are no longer used as medications. The purple petals of the plant were used for dyeing purposes by boiling them to produce a light green color.
Anemonoides apennina · Poppy anemone · Anemonoides ranunculoides · Windflower · Wood Anemone · Snowdrop Anemone
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Anemonoides blanda by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
