Rue anemone is one
of the earliest blooming spring wildflowers. This delicate little
perennial plant that grows from six to ten inches tall with conspicuous white to pinkish petal-like sepals. There are no petals.
The stamens are numerous, and there are five to fifteen separate pistils, each
of which produce a single seed.
Dark wiry stems rise from a cluster of thickened tuberous roots which resemble miniature dahlia tubers. Leaves are at the top of each stem, with several stalked leaflets. Each rounded leaflet is slightly lobed or notched.
Straight up from the tubers, through the leaves, rise the dark slender flower stems. Flower clusters branch umbrella-like from the top of these stems. They bloom from February to May in rich moist woods.
Rue-anemone was formerly named Anemonella thalictroides. It is a member of the Crowfoot or Buttercup Family (Ranunculaceae).
