Anemone drummondii S.Watson

Taxonomic Identity

Anemone drummondii S.Watson is a squat perennial wildflower.

Early Growth Morphology

When it is flowering, it produces short erect stems and small, soft, wrinkled leaves. At this early flowering stage, leaf color ranges from medium green to dark red, varying by growth stage and sun exposure.

Post-Flowering Leaf Shape

After flowering finishes, the leaves expand fully into a multiply ternate dissected shape.

Mature Leaf Traits

Their ultimate segments measure a few millimeters wide and are oblong to linear, and mature leaves range from medium green to gray green in color.

Flower Production

Each clumping plant grows several showy flowers.

Perianth Structure

Each flower has five to eight petal-like sepals and no true petals.

Sepal Coloration

Sepals are most often white, occasionally bright blue to purplish blue, and typically carry a distinct blue tint, most prominent on the underside.

Stamen Characteristics

The center of the flower is filled with many stamens that have yellow anthers.

Fruit Type

Its fruits are woolly achenes.

Species Range

Anemone drummondii is native to western North America, ranging from California north to Alaska.

Mountain Habitat

It grows in mountain habitats including the Cascade Range, Sierra Nevada, and Rocky Mountains, where it occurs from open coniferous forests up to rocky slopes at alpine elevations.

Serpentine Soil Tolerance

In the Wenatchee Mountains of Washington State, the species is notable for its tolerance of rocky serpentine soils; in some locations it is the dominant species growing on steep serpentine slopes.