1) Anemone, Aquilegia, Delphinium, and other Ranunculaceae

Trollius albiflorus

Submitted by Lori S. on Sat, 12/17/2011 - 10:22

Trollius albiflorus (syn. Trollius laxus ssp. albiflorus) is a common plant of wet alpine meadows, blooming shortly after the snow recedes. I find that the white ticking at the leaf-section junctions makes the plant readily identifiable amongst the other meadow foliage, after the bloom season.

Clematis marmoraria

Submitted by Steve Newall on Mon, 10/17/2011 - 01:53

It looks like it's a good year for Clematis marmoraria this year . Some genera of NZ plants have erratic flowering years and Clematis is one . Copious flowers one year and sometimes none the next year . Not quite sure why but it maybe because it disrupts the life cycles of seed predators .

I have now realised that I should have turned the pots to keep the flowers even . Oh well . Never mind .

Anemone virginiana - is it weedy?

Submitted by Mark McD on Sat, 09/03/2011 - 14:23

Last year I bought a couple plants of Anemone virginiana at a NARGS Chapter seedling sale, I wasn't familiar with what this plant was all about. I liked the spring foliage, but as the stems shot up to 2' (60 cm) with ugly whitish flowers, and remembering advice from at least one NARGS member to "watch" this plant as it can spread too far and wide, I dug it up and threw it out.

Ranunculus glaberrimus, Sagebrush buttercup

Submitted by JuniperSky on Sat, 02/19/2011 - 13:44

It's all under snow again, having received about 8" this morning, but last weekend I took a side trip into the Crooked River Gorge in Central Oregon and came upon the early blooms of the Sagebrush buttercups, Ranunculus glaberrimus. So waxy and shiny. It is my first indicator that the season is truly moving along...

Carolyn Poff Strong
Zone 3 & 8