About Anemonastrum narcissiflorum subsp. villosissimum (DC.) Á.Löve & D.Löve
Plants of Anemonastrum narcissiflorum subsp. villosissimum grow 7 to 60 cm (2+3⁄4 to 23+1⁄2 inches) tall from a caudex, a woody perennial base. They flower from spring to mid summer, and often continue flowering into late summer. This taxon produces 3 to 10 basal leaves that are ternate, meaning they are arranged with three leaflets. The leaves are shaped rounded to rounded triangular, and have petioles 4 to 20 millimetres (5⁄32 to 25⁄32 inch) long. Flowers are borne in umbel clusters that hold 2 to 8 flowers, though they often appear to grow singly. The inflorescence bears 3 leaf-like bracts that resemble the basal leaves, but are simpler, much smaller in size, and pinnatifid in shape. Flowers have no petals; instead they have 5 to 9 petal-like sepals that can be white, blue-tinted white, or yellow. Flowers usually have 40 to 80 stamens, and can have as many as 100. After flowering, the plants produce fruits grouped in rounded heads attached to pedicels 5 to 14 centimetres (2 to 5+1⁄2-inch) long. The fruits are called achenes; when ripe they are ellipsoid to ovate in outline, flat in shape, 5 to 9 millimetres (3⁄16 to 11⁄32 in) long and 4 to 6 millimetres (5⁄32 to 1⁄4 in) wide. The achenes are winged, hairless, and have curved or recurved beaks that are 0.8 to 1.5 millimetres (0.031 to 0.059 inch) long. Anemonastrum narcissiflorum is native to northwestern North America and Eurasia. It grows in high mountain alpine grasslands, thickets, grassy meadows with moist soil, tundra, open woods, along roadsides, and in pastures.
