Narrow-leaf pasqueflower (Pulsatilla cernua) — identification, habitat & look-alikes

Narrow-leaf pasqueflower is an East Asian perennial with hairy leaves and nodding, dark red-purple flowers in spring. It is not native to the United States.

Appearance

Growth form: It is a low-growing .
Leaves: The deeply divided leaves and stems carry long, soft hairs. The leaves often have not fully opened when the plant blooms.
Flowers: A single nodding flower grows at the end of each stalk. Six dark red-purple look like petals and are silky-hairy outside.
Flowering time: In a North Carolina garden, it has flowered from February through April.
Fruit: Each dry fruit keeps a long, feathery , and the group of fruits forms a silky round head.

Look-alikes

prairie pasqueflowerPulsatilla nuttalliana

The North American prairie pasqueflower usually has an upward-facing lavender, blue-purple, or pale flower. Narrow-leaf pasqueflower has a nodding, darker red-purple flower.

Why they get mixed upBoth are fuzzy spring wildflowers with finely divided leaves and feathery seed heads.

Where it lives

Typical habitats: sunny grasslands
open slopes
Range: It is native to Korea, Japan, northeastern China, and the Russian Far East.
Preferred conditions: It grows in open places with plenty of sun.
Flowering: Flowers Feb–Apr
Flowers Feb–Apr

Name and classification

About the name: Anemone cernua is an older scientific name for this species.
Varieties and forms: The Korean variety, Pulsatilla cernua var. koreana, has broader leaf segments than the typical variety.

Conservation

IUCN Red List: NENot EvaluatedNot yet assessed
Status: Japan lists its wild populations as Near Threatened (NT).

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