Pulsatilla ludoviciana : Prairie Crocus

Scientific Name:

Kingdom: Plantae

Division:

• Tracheophyta (vascular)
• Spermatophyta (seed bearing)
Angiospermae (enclosed seed)

Class: Dicoteldonae (two seed-leaves)

Family: Ranunculaceae (Crowfoot/Buttercup Family)

Genera: Pulsatilla (Prairie Crocus) (diminutive of Lat. pulsare= to beat; the downy seeds of these plants are beaten about by the wind)

Species: ludoviciana (of Louisiana)

Synonym(s): Anemone pulsatilla, A. patens, Pulsatilla patens

English Name(s):

Prairie Crocus,

First Nation Names:

Structure:

• Plant herbaceous (not woody) with colourless acrid (bitter) juice.
• Tufted plant
• From a stout branched ascending rhizome (rootstalk).
• Stems 10-55cm tall, elongating in maturity.

Leaves:

• Leaves divided into long, silky villous (wolly), leaflets.
• Stem leaves sessile (stalkless), in a whorle (circle) just below flower, 3-6cm long.
• Basal leaves developing after the flowering, long-petioled (stalked), ternately (3-parts) divided.

Reproductive Parts:

• Flowers solitary, large, showy, terminal, perfect (bisexual) and of regular symmetry.
• Sepals 5-7, petal like, 3-5cm long, spreading, purple, colour fading with age, silky villous (wolly) on outer side.
• Petals abscent.
• Styles (female parts) plumose (feather like), repidly elongating, becoming 2-3cm long in fruit.
• Stamens (male parts numerous, sterile ones gland like.
• Ovaries superior (above floral parts).

Seed:

• Fruit achenes.
• Achenes are dry, flattened, seed-like, not spliting open, 4-6mm long (excluding style), villouse (wooly).

Not to Be Confused With:

• Its early blooming and large showy purple flowers are hard to mistake for anything else.

Physiology:

• Aneminin, one of the chief constituents of this plant, is a powerful irritant.
• The styles (female parts) elongate in fruit and develop downy feather-like hairs which act as parachutes to aid in seed dispersal.
• Pulsatilla genus was split from Anemone genus. Sometimes they are grouped back together and this species goes by the name Anemone patens.

Life Cycle:

• Perennial

Seasonal Cycle:

• plants deciduous from rootstock.
• Is the first flower of the season in our area. Blooms as early as late April and as late as Late June is some locations.
• >Blooming lasts a couple weeks in any one location, flowers colours fade with age, Basal leaves gorw only after plant is finnished flowering.

Animal Uses:

Habitat:

• Dry, sandy or rocky sites in tundra, heathlands and woods.
• Sandy-well drained situations.

Modern:

Industrial:

Medicinal:

Food:

• Plant is considered mildly poisonous.

Traditional Gwich'in:

Folklore:

Industrial:

Medicinal:

Food:

Traditional Other:

Folklore:

• In the Victorian Language of Flowers, these plants symbolize that you are without pretension.

Industrial:

Medicinal:

Food: