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/