Image: Wikimedia Commons (See link for license)
Japanese Anemone🌸
Anemone hupehensis var. japonica
シュウメイギク
A perennial in the buttercup family, native to China and long ago introduced to Japan. Naturalized at Kibune near Kyoto, giving it the alternate name 'Kibune-giku'. The only autumn-flowering Anemone commonly cultivated in Japan. From September to October, slender stalks bear 5–7 cm flowers in pale pink-purple to white; the 25–30 'petals' are in fact sepals. Despite 'giku' in the name, it is not in the daisy family but in Ranunculaceae. A classic autumn plant in shaded Japanese gardens.
Identification Points
- ✓Flowers 5–7 cm with 25–30 sepals (not petals)
- ✓Pale pink-purple to white; single and double forms
- ✓50–80 cm tall, autumn-flowering
Habitat
Cultivated (gardens); naturalized (shaded sites)
Season
September to October (flowers)
Morphological TraitsAI-estimated, needs verification
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf shape
Palmate
Growth form
Herb
Flower color
Pink
Flowering season
Summer
Habitat
Cultivated
Phylogenetic Positionキンポウゲ科 →
Phylogenetic Position
Angiosperms > Basal eudicots > Ranunculales > Ranunculaceae
Divergence Era
Late Cretaceous (approx. 90–80 million years ago)
Sources & References
AI-generated, needs verification