Species: Anemone quinquefolia var. bifolia Farw.

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Anemone quinquefolia var. bifolia Farw.

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TAXONOMY

Family:

Ranunculaceae

Genus:

Anemone

Species Synonyms:

Anemone nemorosa var. bifolia (Farw.) Boivin
Anemone quinquefolia var. interior Fern.

Common Names:

twoleaf anemone
American wood anemone
nightcaps

DISTRIBUTION

Canada:

western Alberta, east-central Saskatchewan – Manitoba – Ontario – western Quebec – New Brunswick

Saskatchewan:

east-central Saskatchewan; Somme – Pasquia Hills – Porcupine Hills

Ecoregion:

Boreal Transition, Mid-Boreal Upland, Mid-Boreal Lowland

HABITAT

Saskatchewan:

moist open woods and clearings

Associated Species:

Canada white violet, marsh horsetail, white spruce

RARITY STATUS

Provincial Status According
to Harms (2003):

Threatened

Nature Conservancy Status:

G5 S1

Saskatchewan Species at
Risk Status:

None

COSEWIC Status:

None

Twoleaf anemone is threatened because of rarity in Saskatchewan. It is regionally restricted to the eastern part of the province. Some local populations are small and some larger. Possible threats have been identified for this species.

SPECIES DESCRIPTION

Height:

5 – 30 cm

Roots:

rhizomes horizontal, slender

Stems:

erect, villous

Leaves:

basal leaves 0 – 1, 3 – 5-divided; stalk 5 – 25 cm long

Leaflets:

3 – 5, terminal leaflet sessile, slightly hairy above and below, margin round-toothed to saw-toothed; lateral leaflets frequently lobed

Inflorescence:

flowers solitary; flower stalk hairy or hairless; bracts 3 (look like stem leaves), stalked, 3 – 5-divided, similar to basal leaves

Flowers:

sepals 5, 6 – 25 mm long, 4 – 8 mm wide, white or rarely pinkish; petals absent; stamens 30 - 60

Fruits:

aggregates of single-seeded fruits; fruits not winged, slightly hairy to long-hairy, beak hairless or nearly so

ANEMONE KEY FOR SPECIES FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN

1 Styles feathery; sepals lavender, 2 – 4 cm long	A. patens
1 Styles hairless or hairy but not feathery; sepals white to purple or reddish, generally less than 2 cm long	2

2 Leaves twice-divided into three linear segments	3
2 Leaves less finely divided, principal segments 3 – 5, broader	4

3 Stems several-flowered, to 70 cm tall; ultimate leaf-segments over 3 mm broad	A. multifida var. richardsiana
3 Stems 1 – 3-flowered, to 30 cm tall; ultimate leaf-segments less than 3 mm broad	A. multifida var. hudsoniana

4 Fruits long-woolly	5
4 Fruits hairless to densely short-hairy	7

5 Bracts sessile; rhizomes present, creeping	A. parviflora var. parviflora
5 Bracts stalked; rhizomes absent	6

6 Bracts in one set, below the inflorescence only; leaf lobes saw-toothed on one side for at least half the length; plant densely ashy-hairy	A. cylindrica
6 Bracts in two sets, with the secondary bracts subtending the inflorescence branches; leaf lobes toothed at apex only; plant short-hairy but greener	A. virginiana var. cylindroidea

7 Stem leaves (bracts) stalked	A. quinquefolia var. bifolia
7 Stem leaves (bracts) sessile	8

8 Flowers yellow, solitary; bracts in 2 sets (one directly below the inflorescence and one further down the stem), deeply 3 – 5-parted	A. richardsonii
8 Flowers white or cream, often 2 or more; bracts on primary stem below the inflorescence only, deeply 2 – 3-parted	A. canadensis