ANEMONE PULSATILLA. PASQUE-FLOWER.
ANEMONE Pulsatilla, scapo involucrato unifloro, petalis acutis, foliis bi-tripinnatis hirsutis, lacimis linearibus
acutis (seminibus caudatia). ;
A N EMONE Pulsatilla. Linn. Sp. PI. p. 759. H u d s.An g l.p . 237. With. Bot. A rr. t i . 5 . m l 9 . p â 88
Rclh. Cant. ». 208. t. 3. O ti. PI. Dan. t. 159. Roth. Germ. vol. 2. p. 611. WilU.Sp. PI.
ml. 2. ». 1374. Smith FI. B rit.,p . 580. Engl. Bot. t.5 1 . Lam. Diet. m l. l . p. 163. Decani.
Fl. Fr. t i . 3, ml. 4. p. 881. FI. Gall. p. 414. Pars. Syn. PI. p. 96. A lt. Hart. Kao.
. ed. 2'.- ml. 3. p. 337.
ANEMONE pratensis. Sibth. 0.v. p. 169- With. Bot. A rr. t i . 4. ml. 3.' p. 488.
ANEMONE tubis caudatis, involucris uuifoliU multifidis, foliis linearibus hirsutis, pinnïs tri- et quinque-partlbs.
Hall. Heh. rb ;tl4 6 .
PULSATILLA folio crassiore et majore flora. Rail Syn. p. 260.
Bohem. Zwonek huchynsky. Dan. Koehilde. Oxeore. Dut. Gemeene keukemchelle. Fr. OEufs de Pâques.
L a Coquelourde. Passefleur. Germ. Die Osterblume. Die gemeine Küchenschelle. Das Wildmamisb-aut.
Hung. Kisseh Leamy-Kükortsin. Lo M M . It. Sior i i Donna. Pol. Sasanka. Port. Span. Pulsatilla.
Russ. Wetreniza. Postrel. Swed. Backsippa. Oxôron. Yxnor.
Class and Odder. PO IA A NDRIA MONOGYNIA.
[Natural Order. EA N U N CU LA C E fi, Jussieu, Dccandplle. M U L T IS IL IQ U jE, Z iiot.]
For the Character o f the N atural Order, see CLEMATIS VITALBA.
Ge n Ch ar Imolucrum calycinum a flore remotum, triphyllum foliolis simplicibus laciniatisve; Petala quinque ad
novem; Capsules plures, caudato-plumosas, aut mucronatm.
Ge n . Ch a r . Calycine Involucre remote from the flower, three-leaved, the leaves simple or laciniate; Petals from five
to nine; Capsules many, caudate and plumose, or mucronate.
Radix brassa, lignosa, elongata, setosa, fusca, inferne fibris
perpaucis instructa, superne divisa.
Folia omnia radicalia, numerosa; juniora et nondum expli-
cata tomento albo-sericeo obsita; adulta glabriuscula,
. .viridia, bi-tripinnata, pinnis angustis, fere setaceis, pin-
nulis plerumque iterum divisis, omnibus supra canali-
culatis, apieeque acutis, et pilo terminatis.
Scapus, qui flore jam se aperiente vix duos pollices superat,
fit post anthesin dodrantalis pedalisve, semper erectus,
aphyllus, teres, pilosus, apicem. versus involucratus, involucre
triphyllo, segmentis multi partitis, laciniis seta-
teis, hirsutis, florem calycis instar tegente, sed longe a
seminibus, scapo jam producto, remoto.
Perianthium profunde sex-partitum, segmentis erectis,
ovatis, intus violaceis, glabris, extus pallidioribus valde
sericeis, apicibus pilorum penicillo terminatis, et flore
mox casuri non rare reflexis: tria exteriora, fig. 1. an-.
gustiora sunt, paulalumque rigidiora, interiora latiora,
fig . 2. H H
StaMin a numerosa, receptaculo subcolumnari, fig . 6. in-
serta, arete imbricata. Filamenta incurva, petalis duplo
breviora, alba. . Antheræ biloculares, oblongae, flavo-au-
rantiaeæ. Pollen sphericum, fig. 4.
Ovaria numerosa,inglobumcongesta,lineari-subulala,erecto-
incurvata, sericea; Styli lineares, glabri, recurvati, pur-
purei, persistentes. Stigma incrassatum, fig . 7.
Pericarpiüm: Capsulæ in capitulum aggregate, undique
divergentes, Jig1. 8. nunquam déhiscentes, oblongo-ovatæ,
immerosæ, pilosæ, stylis elongatis, flexuosis, tortis, plu-
mosis terminate, et inde caudate, fig . 9■
Root thick, woody, elongated, setose, brown, below beset
Semina solitaria, capsulis conformia.
I ntegumentum simplex, membranaceum.
Albumen album, corneum, semini conforme.
Embryo parvus, ovatus, apicuïaris. Radicula supera.
F » . 1. An outer segment of the perianth, fig . 2. An inn
prived of its perianth, 'fig . 6. Flower with most of the
fig . 8. Head of capsules, fig . 9 . Single capsule, fig . 10
. bryo.—All but fig. 1 .2 .5 . 6. and 8. more or less magnifie
with a very few fibres, above divided.
Leaves all radical, numerous; the younger and still unfolded
ones covered with a white silky down; the older ones
nearly smooth, green, bi-tripinnate, with the pinnee narrow,
almost setaceous, and the pinnules generally again
divided, all are channelled above, acute at the apex, and
terminated by a hair.
The Scape, which at the time of the first appearing of the
flower scarcely exceeds two inches, becomes after the expansion
of the blossom a span or a foot high, always
erect, leafless, round, hairy, having towards the ex-,
tremity a three-leaved involucre, whose segments are
, multipartite, with the lacinim setaceous hairy; this involucre
protects the flower like a calyx, but is remote
from the seeds by the lengthening of the scape.
Perianth deeply six-cleft, with the segments erect, ovate,
within violet-coloured, smooth, without paler, very silky,
with the apices terminated by a pencil of hairs, and the
flower being about to fade often reflexed: the three exterior
ones, fig . 1. are narrower, rather rigid, the interior
ones broader, fig . 2.
Stamens numerous, inserted upon a somewhat columnar receptacle,
fig . 6. thickly imbricated. The Filaments incurved,
twice as short as the petals, white. Anthers two-
celled, oblong, orange-yellow. Pollen spherical.
Ovaries numerous, collected into a ball, lineari-subulate,
erect but a little incurved, silky; Styles linear, smooth, recurved,
purple, persistent. Stigma thickened, fig . 7.
Pericarp : Capsules collected into a head, diverging every
way, fig . 8. never opening, oblongo-ovate, numerous,
hairy, terminated by the lengthened flexuose, twisted,
plumose styles; whence they are caudate, fig . 9.
Seeds solitary, of the same shape as tire capsules.
Integument simple, membranaceous.
Albumen white, corneous, of the same form as the seed.
Embryo small, ovate, apicular. Radicle superior.
r one. fig . 3. Anther, fig . 4. Pollen, fig . 5. Flower deanthers
removed to show their receptacle, fig . 7. Germen.
The same longitudinally dissected, to show the apicular em-
The charmin', plant here figured is found occasionally, though far from being common, upon chalky downs in various
parts of the kingdom, flowering about the season of Easter, whence it has obtained among us the name of Pasque-Flower*,
and in France and Germany the corresponding appellations of Osterblume and Passcfltur.
It is in many points closely allied to the A.pratensis, L. for which the Oxfordshire plant was, as is already observed
below in lire note mistaken. The leaves, indeed, of the two offer no distinctive characteristic ; but in an Austrian specimen
of A oratensis now before me,, the involucre is less deeply cut into segments than in A. Pulsatilla, the flower smaller and
more drooping the colour a deep chocolate-brown, very little inclining to purple, and die extremities of the perianth singularly
obtuse The characters hitherto given of these species, “ petalis rectis" for our plant, and “petalis apice reflexis" for the
A nratemis appear to me vague and unsatisfactory ; and especially, since it is by no means uncommon, in the folly expanded
flower of the former, to find the apices of the petals reflexed, as represented m our figure.
This is the only species of Anemone found in Britain, belonging to the division with caudate capsules ; a character which
the older botanists considered sufficient to constitute a generic distinction. The individuals included in it were known to
them by the name of Pulsatilla, a term derived from the latin verb pulsare ; ^because, in the words of Ray, “ sennnum tre-
muli pappi Imvissimo flour hue atque illuc agitentur, unde et Herba v e n L i f . " •
The word Anemone itself has a somewhat similar derivation, originating from avipas, •oentus. “ Atipaipii an-nu « n p s dici-
tur, quod flos tantum vento flante aperiatur, vel potius quod locis apertis et vento obnoxus florere gestiatj..
So beautiful a flower could scarcely fail to be noticed by the poets of antiquity, or to be a favourite with them ; and we
accordingly find it in mythology connected with the story of Venus and Adonis, and made by Bion to spring from the tears
of the goddess, at the same time that the blood of the unfortunate youth gave birth to the more lovely Rose.
The root Haller observes, is sweet ; the leaves and flower very acrid, so that, taken with distilled^ water, they excite vo-
mitine • on which account he does not recommend it in diseases of the lungs. Applied to the skm it raises blisters.—The
flowers’ according to the same author, yield a green colour, which may be used in dyeing, and, as has been already remarked,
they arc employed in some countries for the purpose of staining the paschal eggs, (OEufs de Pâques), the petals alone affording
a pale and clear, and the entire flower a deep but obscure green.
rcumstance related by the.German author Dreves, in his Botamches Bilderluch, of the inhabitants
the flowers, with which they stain their paschal eggs.
* Or more probably from the eii
countries, who pvepare a dye from
f Rail Hist. Pl.v. 1. p.033.
% Id p.624.
of some Catholic