{{short description|Species of flowering plant in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae}} {{Speciesbox |image=Anemone_blanda1GrooverFW.jpg |genus=Anemonoides |species=blanda |authority=([[Heinrich Wilhelm Schott|Schott]] & [[Theodor Kotschy|Kotschy]]) |synonyms= {{species list |Anemone apennina subsp. blanda|(Schott & Kotschy) Hayek |Anemonoides blanda|(Schott & Kotschy) Holub |Anemone apennina|Boiss. |Anemone blanda atrocoerulea|Tubergen |Anemone blanda scythinica|Tubergen}} |synonyms_ref={{r|powo}} }} [[File:Anemone blanda MS 0152.jpg|thumb|Flowers in cultivation]]
'''''Anemonoides blanda''''', [[synonym (taxonomy)|syn.]] '''''Anemone blanda''''', the '''Balkan anemone''',{{r|BSBI07}} '''Grecian windflower''', or '''winter windflower''', is a [[species]] of [[flowering plant]] in the [[Family (taxonomy)|family]] Ranunculaceae. The species is [[native plant|native]] to [[southeastern Europe]] and the [[Middle East]].{{r|powo}}{{r|TPL_kew-2638070}} The [[Botanical name#Binary name|specific epithet]] ''blanda'' means "mild" or "charming".{{r|RHSLG}} The genus name is derived from the Greek word ''anemos'', or wind.{{r|mobotpf}}
==Description== An [[herbaceous plant|herbaceous]] [[tuber]]ous [[perennial plant|perennial]], it grows up to {{cvt|10-15|cm|in|0}} tall.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.gardenia.net/plant-variety/anemone-blanda-grecian-windflower|title=Anemone blanda (Grecian Windflower)|website=Gardenia.net|language=en|access-date=2019-09-25}}</ref> It is valued for its daisy-like flowers over a fernlike foliage,<ref name=":0" /> which appear in early spring, a time when little else is in flower. The plants can also easily naturalize.<ref name=":0" /> The flowers are an intense shade of purple blue, but are also available{{clarify|"Available" seems to imply this is only true of commercial varieties, but it would be better if this were explicitly stated|date=May 2025}} in shades of pink and white.
===Leaves=== The green leaves are finely divided and arranged in a whorled and alternate pattern. They do not contain hair like structures.<ref name=":1" /> The leaves are deeply cut.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.seasonalgardening.co.uk/bulbs/anemone-blanda.asp|title=Anemone blanda|website=www.seasonalgardening.co.uk|language=en|access-date=2019-12-11|archive-date=2019-09-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190928060222/https://www.seasonalgardening.co.uk/bulbs/anemone-blanda.asp|url-status=dead}}</ref> The plant has compound leaves that are grown in basal arrangement. The edges of the blades of leaves contain teeth.<ref name=":4" />
===Roots and stems=== The stem of the plant is nonaromatic<ref name=":1" /> and wiry.<ref name=":3" /> It has little root growth so its normal for them to only produce few roots.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web|url=https://www.longfield-gardens.com/article/all-about-anemones|title=All About Anemones|website=www.longfield-gardens.com|access-date=2019-12-11}}</ref> The perennial is tuberous-rooted.{{r|mobotpf}}
===Fruits and flowers=== [[File:Balkan Windröschen (Anemone blanda)-20230407-RM-124525.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Close up of flower]] The flowers are found in various colors and are radially symmetrical. The flower contains about seven or more sepals and petals.<ref name=":4" /> The flowers have an attractive, striking appearance with dull centers and smooth, satiny, vibrant petals.<ref name=":5" /> The flowers come in colors like white, yellow-green, red, or purple, and more. They are shaped like cups, with several stamens.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/anemonoides-blanda/|title=Anemonoides blanda (Anemones) {{!}} North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox|website=plants.ces.ncsu.edu|access-date=2019-12-11|archive-date=2019-12-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191203020052/https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/anemonoides-blanda/|url-status=live}}</ref> The plant contains small fruits, frequently including plumose tails.<ref name=":1" /> The fruits of this plant are dry and do not split open after they ripe. They are about 1.3 to 3 mm in size.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web|url=https://gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org/species/anemone/blanda/|title=Anemone blanda (Greek windflower): Go Botany|website=gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org|access-date=2019-12-10}}</ref>
===Seeds and bulbs=== The Grecian windflower grows from bulb-like tubers.<ref name=":5" /> The tubers appear to be black in color and are non-uniformly shaped, small, wrinkled pellets. The tubers do not contain a thin, paper-like sheath. Viable tubers have a firm texture. The minimum size of a tuber is {{cvt|5|cm|in|0}}, but they can be larger in size.<ref name=":3" /> The seeds have low germination rates, but rates can be increased using stratification.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://floristics.info/en/garden/3005-anemone-planting-care-and-cultivation-of-the-flower.html|title=Anemone: planting, care and cultivation of the flower|last=Clark|first=Joan|website=floristics.info|language=en|access-date=2019-12-10}}</ref>
==Distribution== The native range of ''Anemonoides blanda'' extends from [[southeastern Europe]], through [[Turkey]] and [[Lebanon]], to western [[Syria]] in the [[Middle East]]. The species has been introduced into [[Germany]] and elsewhere.{{r|powo}} There are numerous naturalized populations in [[Canada]] and the [[United States]].{{r|BONAP}}
==Cultivation== ''Anemonoides blanda'' should be planted in the autumn in partially shady areas, and in moist soil. It can also grow in full sun if the soil stays moist.<ref name=":0" /> It grows in any well-drained soil which dries out in summer; hence it is often used for underplanting [[deciduous]] trees which provide the necessary conditions. It rapidly colonizes any favored location. The plant is deciduous, meaning the flowers and leaves die in the early summer.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.seasonalgardening.co.uk/bulbs/anemone-blanda.asp|title=Anemone blanda|website=www.seasonalgardening.co.uk|language=en|access-date=2019-12-11|archive-date=2019-09-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190928060222/https://www.seasonalgardening.co.uk/bulbs/anemone-blanda.asp|url-status=dead}}</ref> The flowers attract bees, butterflies and other pollinators.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|url=https://www.vanengelen.com/hanemoneblanda.html|title=Anemone blanda Hort Tips|website=www.vanengelen.com|access-date=2019-12-11}}</ref> This plant<ref>{{cite web|title=RHS Plant Selector - ''Anemone blanda''|url=https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/25512/Anemone-blanda/Details|accessdate=14 February 2020|archive-date=18 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200218204540/https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/25512/Anemone-blanda/Details|url-status=live}}</ref> and its cultivar <!-- ''A. blanda rosea''[http://apps.rhs.org.uk/plantselector/plant?plantid=4645] AGM withdrawn? ''A. blanda'' var. ''rosea'' 'Radar'<ref>{{cite web|title=RHS Plant Selector - ''Anemone blanda'' var. ''rosea'' 'Radar'|url=http://apps.rhs.org.uk/plantselector/plant?plantid=2118|accessdate=24 May 2013}}</ref> --> 'White Splendour',<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/90635/Anemone-blanda-White-Splendour/Details |title=RHS Plantfinder - ''Anemone blanda'' 'White Splendour' |publisher=Royal Horticultural Society |date=2017 |accessdate=18 February 2020 |archive-date=18 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200218204541/https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/90635/Anemone-blanda-White-Splendour/Details |url-status=live }}</ref> have gained the [[Royal Horticultural Society]]'s [[Award of Garden Merit]].
==Medicinal and other uses== [[Herbalists]] in the [[Middle Ages]] used ''A. blanda'' as treatment for [[gout]] and headaches. Due to their toxicity, they are no longer used as medications. The purple petals of the plant were used for [[dyeing]] purposes by boiling them to produce a light green color.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.farmergracy.co.uk/blogs/farmer-gracys-blog/all-about-anemone-bulbs|title=Anemones! All About Anemone Bulbs|website=farmergracy.co.uk |access-date=2019-12-10 |last=Beal |first=Susan Klatz |date=2017-02-14 |location=Noordwijkerhout, NL |publisher=Farmer Gracy Ltd.}}</ref>
==Toxicity== It is considered to be poisonous if ingested in large quantities, and causes pain and irritation in the mouth. The plant can cause [[contact dermatitis]] by touching of the following poisonous parts of the plant: bark, flowers, fruits, leaves, roots, stems, and seeds. Some other symptoms of being poisoned are inflammation, blistering from contact with fresh sap, vomiting, and diarrhea.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/anemonoides-blanda/|title=''Anemonoides blanda'' (Anemones) {{!}} North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox|website=plants.ces.ncsu.edu|access-date=2019-12-03}}</ref>
==Ecology== Bees and other insects eat the nectar and pollen.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gardenersworld.com/plants/anemone-blanda/|title=Anemone blanda|website=BBC Gardeners' World Magazine|language=en|access-date=2019-12-11|archive-date=2019-12-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191211023804/https://www.gardenersworld.com/plants/anemone-blanda/|url-status=live}}</ref>{{better source|reason=Most anemone species aside from Pulsatilla when that is included in the genus Anemone have no nectar according to https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13127-013-0131-9|date=February 2024}}
==References== {{Reflist|refs= <ref name=BSBI07>{{BSBI 2007|accessdate=2014-10-17}}</ref> <ref name=mobotpf>{{Cite web|url=https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=286103&isprofile=0&|title=Anemone blanda - Plant Finder|website=www.missouribotanicalgarden.org|access-date=2019-12-11|archive-date=2024-10-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241012182729/https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=286103&isprofile=0&|url-status=live}}</ref> <ref name=powo>{{cite web |title=''Anemonoides blanda'' (Schott & Kotschy) Holub |url=https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:708741-1 |website=Plants of the World Online |publisher=[[Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew]] |accessdate=9 August 2020}}</ref> <ref name="RHSLG">{{cite book|title=RHS Latin for gardeners|last=Harrison|first=Lorraine|publisher=Mitchell Beazley|year=2012|isbn=9781845337315|location=United Kingdom|pages=224}}</ref> <ref name="TPL_kew-2638070">{{Citation |title=''Anemone blanda'' |work=The Plant List |url=http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/record/kew-2638070 |accessdate=2014-10-23 |archive-date=2019-09-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190928071748/http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/record/kew-2638070 |url-status=live }}</ref> <ref name="BONAP">{{BONAP |species=Anemone blanda |date=2014 |access-date=28 November 2020}}</ref> }}
{{Taxonbar|from1=Q55813523|from2=Q805035}}
[[Category:Anemonoides|blanda]] [[Category:Ephemeral plants]] [[Category:Flora of Europe]] [[Category:Flora of Asia]] [[Category:Taxa named by Theodor Kotschy]] [[Category:Taxa named by Heinrich Wilhelm Schott]]