Anemone coronaria is a herbaceousperennialtuberous plant growing to 20–40 cm (7.9–15.7 in) tall, rarely to 60 cm (24 in), spreading to 15–23 cm (5.9–9.1 in), with a basal rosette of a few leaves, the leaves with three leaflets, each leaflet deeply lobed. The flowers which bloom from April to June are borne singly on a tall stem with a whorl of small leaves just below the flower; the flower is 3–8 cm in diameter, with 5–8 red (but may be white or blue) showy petal-like tepals and a black centre. The pollen is dry, has an unsculpted exine, is less than 40 nm in diameter, and is usually deposited within 1.5 m of its source. This central mound consists of tightly packed pistils in the centre, with a crown-like ring of stamens surrounding this, giving the species its specific epithetcoronaria.[2] The flowers produce 200–300 seeds.[3] The plants form hard black tubers as storage organs.[4]
Aside from its flowers resembling poppies, the red single wild form flowers resemble the flowers of the red single wild form of Ranunculus asiaticus.
Anemone coronaria means crown anemone, referring to the central crown of the flower, evoking regal associations. The Arabic name is shaqa'iq An-Nu'man translated literally as the wounds, or "pieces", of Nu'man.[6][7]
A possible source of the name is An-Nu'man III Bin Al-Munthir, the last Lakhmid king of Al-Hirah (582–c.609 AD) and a Christian Arab. An-Nu'man is known to have protected the flowers during his reign.[6] According to legend, the flower thrived on An-Nu'man's grave, after his death in the battle against the Sassanids Sasanian Empire.
Another possible source of the name traces back to the Sumerian god of food and vegetation, Tammuz, whose Phoenician epithet was "Nea'man".[8] Tammuz is generally considered to have been drawn into the Greek pantheon as Adonis, who died of his wounds while hunting wild boar. The deity is transformed into a flower, stained by the blood of Adonis.[8] Tammuz's Phoenician epithet "Nea'man" is believed to be both the source of "an-Nu'man" in Arabic which came through Syriac, and of "anemone" which came through Greek.[8] Another possible source of the name is An-Nu'man III Bin Al-Munthir, the last Lakhmid king of Al-Hirah (582–c.609 AD) and a Christian Arab. An-Nu'man is known to have protected the flowers during his reign.[6] According to legend, the flower thrived on An-Nu'man's grave, paralleling the death and rebirth of Adonis.
It is also a symbol of Palestine, with its colors evoking the Palestinian flag.[13]
Distribution and habitat
Mediterraneanlittoral, from Greece, Albania, southern Turkey, Syria, Iraq, Northern Arabia to the Sinai Peninsula with sporadic extension east to Iran and west along the Mediterranean shores of Italy, southern France and North Africa.[14][3][4]
Ecology
In the wild, A. coronaria is winter flowering and cross pollinated by bees, flies and beetles, which can carry pollen over long distances.[3]
Cultivation
Anemone coronaria was introduced into England prior to 1596, being described in Thomas Johnson's edition of John Gerard's Herball, first published in 1597 and was popular during the time of Queen Elizabeth I. By the beginning of the eighteenth century, breeders in France and Italy had already considerably improved the range of colours available.[3]
Anemone coronaria is widely grown for its decorative flowers, and has a hardiness of USDA zones 7–10, preferring full sun to part shade. Although perennial in its native climate, A. coronaria is usually grown as an annual in cooler climates, from tubers. Planting is usually in the autumn if kept in pots in a greenhouse through the winter or in the ground in spring once the risk of frost has passed.[4]
Cultivars
Modern cultivars have very large flowers, with diameters of 8–10 cm and a wide range of bright and pastel colours, in addition to two toned varieties. The centre is usually black, but may be pale green in white varieties. Stems may be as tall as 40–50 cm, and each plant may produce 13–15 blooms.[3]
Numerous cultivars have been selected and named, the most popular including the De Caen (single) and St Brigid (semi-double and double) groups of cultivars.[15] The De Caen group are hybrids cultivated in the districts of Caen and Bayeux in France in the 18th century,[4] and include 'Bicolor' (red with white), 'Blue Poppy' (blue), 'Mr Fokker' (purple), 'Sylphide' (deep pink) and 'The Bride' (white). Referred to as poppy anemones because they closely resemble the true poppy (Papaveroideae). St. Brigid cultivars originated in Ireland, and named after that county's saint, they include 'Lord Lieutenant' (purple blue) and 'The Governor' (red).[16] In addition to these large groups, there are two minor groups, Rissoana which is very rustic and early blooming (November) and Grassensis with large double flowers that bloom in the spring.[3]
Gallery
Flowers of various colors
Growing wild near Megiddo, Israel
Red flower
Blue flower
White flower
Purple flower
Red flower with 6 petals
Scanograph of purple flower
In Cyprus
Purple anemone in the Judean mountains
Red and white anemone
Tubers
Red carpet of flowers in Shokeda Forest, Israel, 2012
^Segev, Tom (2000). One Palestine, Complete: Jews and Arabs under the British Mandate. 115 West 18th St., New York, NY 10011: Metropolitan Books, Henry Holt and Company LLC. p. 481. ISBN0-8050-4848-0.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
Hoot, Sara B.; Meyer, Kyle M.; Manning, John C. (1 March 2012). "Phylogeny and Reclassification of Anemone (Ranunculaceae), with an Emphasis on Austral Species". Systematic Botany. 37 (1): 139–152. doi:10.1600/036364412X616729. S2CID85773478.
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