| Anemone hepatica | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Division: | Magnoliophyta |
| Subdivision: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Ranunculales |
| Family: | Ranunculaceae |
| Genus: | Anemone |
| Species: | A. hepatica |
| Binomial name | |
| Anemone hepatica L. |
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| Synonyms | |
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Anemone hepatica (= Hepatica nobilis; Common Hepatica, liverwort, kidneywort, pennywort) is a herbaceous perennial growing from a rhizome in the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae), native to woodland in temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere.
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The taxonomy of the genus Anemone and its species is not fully resolved. Anemone hepatica was formerly known as Hepatica nobilis Schreb., under the genus Hepatica, based on differences from Anemone — the three bracts below the sepals and lobed rather than cut, evergreen leaves. But the latest phylogenetic studies of many species of Anemone and related genera[1] indicate that Hepatica should be included under Anemone because of similarities both in molecular attributes and other shared morphologies.[2]
Anemone hepatica grows 5–15 cm (2–6 in) high. Leaves and flowers emerge directly from the rhizome, not from a stem above ground.
The leaves have three lobes and are fleshy and hairless, 7–9 cm (2.8–3.5 in) wide and 5–6 cm (2.0–2.4 in) long. The upper side is dark green with whitish stripes and the lower side is violet or reddish-brown. Leaves emerge during or after flowering and remain green through winter.
The flowers are blue, purple, pink, or white and appear in winter or spring. They have five to ten oval showy sepals and three green bracts.
The variety H. nobilis var. nobilis is native to Europe.
Like other Ranunculaceae, fresh liverwort contains protoanemonin and is therefore slightly toxic. By drying the herb, protoanemonin is dimerized to the non-toxic anemonin.
Medieval herbalists believed it could be used to treat liver diseases, and is still used in alternative medicine today. Other modern applications by herbalists include treatments for pimples, bronchitis and gout.[3]
It is the official flower of the Sweden Democrats political party, in Swedish politics. In Swedish the flower is known as blåsippa.
It is found in the woods, thickets and meadows, especially in the mountains of the continental Europe.