Wood Anemone

Common Name:               Wood Anemone

Scientific Name:               Anemone nemorosa

Irish Name:         Lus na gaoithe

Family Group:    Ranunculaceae

Forming a carpet of green with delicate, white flowers, this perennial wildflower is an early flowering plant which blossoms from March to May.  The flowers (2-4cm) have 6-12 hairless sepals which resemble petals, usually white but with a hint of pink beneath.  At their centre are very many yellow stamens.  They are borne solitarily on long, thin stalks and the leaves are deeply lobed, basal except for a whorl of 3 on the flower stems.  This is a plant of deciduous woodlands, flowering before the leaves of the trees above have emerged. It also grows in heather and bracken-covered areas. It is a native plant belonging to the Ranunculaceae family.

This information is courtesy of http://www.wildflowersofireland.net/