Himalayan Windflower

Caudex branched, erect or oblique, short or long, 8--15 mm in diam. Leaves 3--5; petiole 5--15(--25) cm, puberulent, base long sheathing; leaf blade 3-sect, reniform-pentagonal, 3--10 × 5--15(--25) cm, strigose, pubescent, base cordate or cuneate; segments shortly petiolulate or subsessile; central segment 3-parted, broadly rhombic or rhombic-ovate, apex acute; lateral segments unequally 2-parted, obliquely flabellate, ultimate lobules linear-oblong. Scapes 1--3, 20--60(--120) cm; cyme compound, 2- or 3-branched, 10--30 cm, many flowered. Involucral bracts 3 or 4; petiole flat, 1--1.5 cm, winged; bract blade similar to that of leaves, 3-parted, broadly rhombic, 3--9 cm, puberulent, margin serrate. Bracteoles small. Pedicel 2--12 cm, pubescent. Sepals 5--10, white, blue, purplish, or mauve, elliptic or elliptic-obovate, 6--15 × 3--10 mm, abaxially puberulent, basal veins 5--7, vein anastomoses 5--10, apex densely barbate. Stamens 3--5 mm; filament filiform; anther ellipsoid or ovoid, ca. 1 mm. Pistils 30--60, glabrous; ovary narrowly ovoid; style often uncinate, long. Achene body ovoid or fusiform, slightly compressed, 5--8 × 2--5 mm, glabrous; style hooked, conic, 1.5--2 mm. Fl. May--Aug.

Himalaya, Tibet, India, Ceylon, Burma, W. & N. China.

C and S Gansu, W Guangxi, Guizhou, N and W Hebei, NW Henan, SW Hubei, S Nei Mongol, Ningxia, E Qinghai, Shaanxi, Sichuan, W Xinjiang, E and S Xizang, Yunnan [Bhutan, India, Indonesia (Sumatra), Nepal, Sikkim, Sri Lanka].

1600-4000 m

Forest margins, grassy slopes, streamsides, lakesides; 800--4900 m.

Flowering from May to August.

Anemone rivularis var. rivularis is close relative of Anemone rivularis var. flore-minore, but differs from the latter in its 6-10, 10-15 mm long, 5-10 mm wide (vs. 5 or 6, 6-10 mm long, 3-5 mm wide) sepals, 20-60 cm tall (vs. 40-120 cm) scape.

Anemone rivularis is occurring in SW Gansu, W Guangxi, Guizhou, SW Hubei, SE Qinghai, Sichuan, E and S Xizang, Yunnan of China, Bhutan, India, Indonesia (Sumatra), Nepal, Sikkim, Sri Lanka.

The phylogenetic analysis for the Anemone s.lat. were inferred from the combined atpB-rbcL spacer and ITS data, the single most parsimonious tree shows that Anemone rivulari was closely related to the Anemone hupehensis (Schuettpelz et al., 2002).

Caudex branched, erect or oblique, short or long, 8-15 mm in diameter. Leaves 3-5; petiole 5-15 (-25) cm long, puberulent, base long sheathing; leaf blade 3-sect, reniform-pentagonal, 3-10 cm long, 5-15 (-25) cm wide, strigose, pubescent, base cordate or cuneate; segments shortly petiolulate or subsessile; central segment 3-parted, broadly rhombic or rhombic-ovate, apex acute; lateral segments unequally 2-parted, obliquely flabellate, ultimate lobules linear-oblong. Scapes 1-3, 20-60 cm tall; cyme compound, 2- or 3-branched, 10-30 cm, many flowered. Involucral bracts 3 or 4; petiole flat, 1-1.5 cm, winged; bract blade similar to that of leaves, 3-parted, broadly rhombic, 3-9 cm, puberulent, margin serrate. Bracteoles small. Pedicel 2-12 cm, pubescent. Sepals 6-10, white, blue, purplish, or mauve, elliptic or elliptic-obovate, 10-15 mm long, 5-10 mm wide, abaxially puberulent, basal veins 5-7, vein anastomoses 5-10, apex densely barbate. Stamens 3-5 mm; filament filiform; anther ellipsoid or ovoid, ca. 1 mm. Pistils 30-60, glabrous; ovary narrowly ovoid; style often uncinate, long. Achene body ovoid or fusiform, slightly compressed, 5-8 × 2-5 mm, glabrous; style hooked, conic, 1.5-2 mm.

Growing in grassy slopes, streamsides, lakesides; 800-4900 m.

Anemone rivularis is here defined to scape 20-60 cm tall. Sepals 6-10, 10-15 mm long, 5-10 mm wide.