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Pacific anemone

Anemone multifida · Ranunculaceae

Pacific anemone (Anemone multifida)
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Pacific anemone (Anemone multifida) is a perennial herbaceous plant in the Ranunculaceae family. It is native to North America. USDA records it as hardy in zone 4 and warmer, down to about -23°F.

At a glance

Typeforb-herb USDA
Lifecycleperennial USDA
Native statusnative USDA
Mature height2 ft USDA
Lightshade USDA
Water needmedium USDA
Growth raterapid USDA
Soil pH6–7.5 USDA
BloomJune USDA
Flower colorYellow USDA
Hardiness zones4 and warmer USDA
Guild layerherb-layer Derived
Nursery availabilityContracting Only USDA

USDA quoted from the USDA PLANTS database · Derived computed by a fixed rule from those columns. No value on this page is estimated.

Growing conditions

It tolerates full shade. USDA rates it as having moderate water needs. Its drought tolerance is rated low. It will not tolerate waterlogged soil — USDA rates its anaerobic tolerance as none. It is recorded on soils from pH 6 to 7.5 — a broad range that spans acidic through mildly alkaline ground. Its cold limit is zone 4.

Size and growth

At maturity it reaches about 2 ft, making it about knee height. It grows quickly.

Bloom period

USDA records a bloom period of June. Flowers are yellow.

A flowering date, not a pollinator rating.

Foliage, flower and season

Summer foliage is green, coarse in texture. Its flowers are conspicuous. Its active growth period is spring and summer. USDA rates its lifespan as short, so plan on replacing or resowing it rather than treating it as permanent structure.

What the site needs to provide

USDA records it across sites receiving 40 to 60 inches of annual precipitation. It needs at least 120 frost-free days to finish its season. It roots to at least 6 inches. Fertility requirement: low — no feeding needed on ordinary garden soil.

Propagating it

Propagate it from seed and container stock. Seed needs cold stratification — a period of moist chilling — before it will germinate, so sow in autumn or chill it artificially before a spring sowing. Its seed spreads at a rapid rate. It spreads vegetatively at a rapid rate.

Resilience and wildlife

Browsing animals rate it barely palatable — the sourced basis for calling it deer-resistant. Its fire tolerance is rated low. Its growth form is recorded as rhizomatous.

Role in a guild

Herb layer. In a layered planting this is the herbaceous middle — perennials and grasses that fill the space between ground cover and shrubs. The layer is derived by a fixed rule from growth habit and mature height.

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Tags

deciduoussandy-soildeer-resistantspreadingnativeshade-tolerantfast-growing

Related plants

Similar role and hardiness

Where this data comes from

Every value on this page comes from the USDA PLANTS database record for symbol ANMU, or is computed from those values by a fixed rule. Nothing here is estimated or model-generated. Where USDA publishes no value, this page omits the claim rather than filling the gap.

Read our full data sources and methodology.

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