Photos: Ballingeary, Co. Cork

Wood Anemone Anemone nemorosa Lus na gaoithe Family: Ranunculaceae Flowering time: February-April. Perennial. Native. Delicate white flowers, yellow stamens. True petals absent, 6-7 white petal-like sepals, sometimes pinkish or purple tinged. Blue flowers in Cappoquin area. Basal leaves are long-stalked, palmately-lobed. Whorl of 3 leaves on stem. Grows from slender far-creeping rhizomes. Variable. Rich, slightly moist soil in woods, streamsides, roadbanks. Also found on river banks, bracken covered slopes and dry rocky heathland. Widespread, locally abundant but less frequent in central Ireland.

Wood Anemone, Anemone nemorosa, Lus na gaoithe