Anemone altaica
Family: Ranunculaceae
What it is like
Anemone altaica is a PERENNIAL growing to 0.2 m (0ft 8in). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 2. It is in flower in May. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Bees, flies. The plant is self-fertile. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland). It prefers moist soil.
Height (m): 0.2
Where it is found
Forests, scrub and streamsides at elevations of 1200 - 1800 metres in W Henan, NW Hubei, S Shanxi and N Xinjiang provinces, China.
Eastern Asia - Arctic Russia to China and Japan.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 0
Medicine
Rating: 1
The rhizome is an aromatic stimulant and stomachic. It is used in the treatment of poor appetite and gastro-intestinal distension, insanity, melancholia, epilepsy and impaired consciousness.
Epilepsy: Used in the treatment of Epilepsy - a disorder in which nerve cell activity in the brain is disturbed, causing seizures.
Stimulant: Excites or quickens activity of the physiological processes. Faster acting than a tonic but differing from a narcotic in that it does not give a false sense of well-being.
Stomachic: Aids and improves the action of the stomach.
Other
Rating:
How it is grown
Prefers a moist but well drained peaty soil in some shade. A very hardy plant, tolerating temperatures down to at least -40°c. Plants seem to be immune to the predations of rabbits. A greedy plant, inhibiting the growth of nearby plants, especially legumes.
Propagating it: Seed - best sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe in the summer. Surface sow or only just cover the seed and keep the soil moist. Sow stored seed as soon as possible in late winter or early spring. The seed usually germinates in 1 - 6 months at 15°c. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in light shade in the greenhouse for at least their first year. When the plants are large enough, plant them out in the spring. Division in late summer after the plant dies down.
Best place to grow: Woodland Garden Dappled Shade; Shady Edge;
Habit: Perennial
Hardiness:
Growth:
Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: Semi-shade
Moisture: Moist
Things to keep in mind
Although no specific mention has been seen for this species, many members of this genus contain protoanemonin, an irritating acrid oil that is an enzymatic breakdown product of the glycoside ranunculin. While protoanemonin can cause severe topical and gastrointestinal irritation, it is unstable and changes into harmless anemonin when plants are dried or heated.