Eriocapitella japonica (Thunb.) Nakai

Taxonomic Identity

Eriocapitella japonica (Thunb.) Nakai is a perennial herbaceous plant that grows 60 to 90 cm (2 to 3 ft) tall.

Plant Surface Characteristics

All plant parts are soft, downy, and covered in short hairs.

Basal Leaf Morphology

Its basal leaves are ternate, lobed, and toothed.

Inflorescence Structure

The inflorescence is a cyme, with flower stalks emerging from a whorl of leaves wrapped around the top of the stem.

Flower Dimensions and Parts

Each flower measures approximately 5 to 7.5 cm (2.0 to 3.0 in) across, and has 1–3 whorls of sepals (with no petals) and yellow stamens.

Sepal Coloration

The sepals are colored rosy purple or carmine.

Fruit Type

The fruits are silky achenes.

Native Distribution

This species is native to Central China, East China, South China, Taiwan, and Vietnam.

Cultivated Naturalized Range in China

It has been cultivated and naturalized in multiple Chinese provinces: Anhui, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, and Fujian in East China; Guangdong in South China; and Yunnan in Southwest China.

Introduced Range in East Asia

It was introduced to Japan and Korea, and has been naturalized in Japan for hundreds of years.

Fall-blooming Anemone Classification

Alongside four other taxa – Eriocapitella hupehensis, Eriocapitella vitifolia, Eriocapitella tomentosa, and Eriocapitella × hybrida – this species is classified as a fall-blooming anemone.

Flowering Period

Just like E. hupehensis, E. japonica flowers from July to October in its native habitat.

Global Cultivation Status

Varieties of Eriocapitella japonica are cultivated across the world, particularly in China, Japan, and Korea, where naturalized populations occur.

Historical Cultivar Spread

Hundreds of years ago, a form of E. hupehensis with smaller, semi-double pink-sepaled flowers escaped cultivation and spread across China to Japan and Korea.

Cultivar Introduction to Europe

In 1843, plant explorer Robert Fortune found this form in a Shanghai graveyard and sent it to England, where it became known as E. japonica, the Japanese anemone.

Hybrid Cultivar Development

European horticulturists crossed this Japanese anemone with E. vitifolia to create cultivars of the artificial hybrid E. × hybrida.

Chicago Botanic Garden Experiments

Beginning in 1998, Rudy conducted 5 years of experiments with 26 cultivars of fall-blooming anemones at the Chicago Botanic Garden.

E. japonica Cultivar Bloom Performance

Four of the tested cultivars were E. japonica; one of these, E. japonica 'Prinz Heinrich', had the longest bloom length of any cultivar, at 65 days.

Royal Horticultural Society AGM Awards

As of March 2020, two E. japonica cultivars – 'Pamina' and 'Rotkäppchen' – hold the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit (AGM).

AGM List Removal

The cultivar 'Prinz Heinrich' was removed from the AGM list in 2013.