round-lobed hepatica
(Anemone americana)
Conservation • Description • Habitat • Ecology • Use • Distribution • Taxonomy
Conservation Status |
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| IUCN Red List | not listed |
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| NatureServe | NNR - Unranked SNR - Unranked |
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| Minnesota | not listed |
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Description |
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Round-lobed hepatica is an erect, perennial forb that rises from ascending to horizontal rhizomes. In early April it can be identified by the rounded, purple, three-lobed leaves laying flat on the ground. These are leaves that have overwintered from the previous year. The name hepatica is Latin for liver, and refers to the shape and color of the leaves, which resemble the human liver. By the time the flowers appear the overwintered leaves are dying back. The flowers are ½″ to 1″ wide and are born singly on densely hairy, leafless stalks. They have from 5 to 12 petal-like sepals (usually 6), 10 to 30 white stamens, and a green cluster of carpels at the center. The sepals are white, pale pink, or pale blue, egg-shaped or inversely egg-shaped. There are 3 broadly egg-shaped or elliptic bracts with rounded tips subtending the flower. After the flowers have bloomed 3 to 15 new leaves emerge from the base on slender, densely hairy, 2″ to 8″ long leaf stalks. The leaves are ⅔″ to 2¾″ long, ¾″ to 4″ wide, and palmately divided into 3 lobes shallowly cut to near the middle of the blade. The base of the leaf is heart-shaped, broadly rounded and indented where the leaf attaches to the leaf stalk. The lobes are broadly oval to egg-shaped and rounded at the tip. The terminal lobe length is 50% to 70% of the total leaf length. The margins are untoothed. The upper surface is green, sometimes with purple mottles. The underside of the leaf is green or sometimes purple. When young both surfaces are densely hairy with long, soft, shaggy, unmatted hairs. As they age they become hairless or almost hairless. |
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Height |
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2″ to 6″ |
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Flower Color |
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White, pale pink, or pale blue |
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Similar Species |
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Sharp-lobed hepatica (Anemone acutiloba) leaves are more deeply divided into lobes with pointed tips. The terminal lobe length is 70% to 90% of the total leaf length. There are 3, sometimes 4, narrowly lance-shaped bracts with pointed tips subtending the flower. |
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Habitat |
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Dry to moist. Upland woods. |
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Ecology |
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Flowering |
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April to May |
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Pests and Diseases |
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Use |
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Distribution |
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| 11/7/2021 | ||||
Nativity |
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Native |
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Occurrence |
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Common |
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Taxonomy |
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| Kingdom | Plantae (green algae and land plants) | ||
| Subkingdom | Viridiplantae (green plants) | ||
| Infrakingdom | Streptophyta (land plants and green algae) | ||
| Superdivision | Embryophyta (land plants) | ||
| Division | Tracheophyta (vascular plants) | ||
| Subdivision | Spermatophytina (seed plants) | ||
| Class | Magnoliopsida (flowering plants) | ||
| Superorder | Ranunculanae | ||
Order |
Ranunculales (buttercups, poppies, and allies) | ||
Family |
Ranunculaceae (buttercups) | ||
| Subfamily | Ranunculoideae (anemones, buttercups, larkspurs and allies) | ||
| Tribe | Anemoneae (anemones and allies) | ||
Genus |
Anemone (anemone) | ||
Subordinate Taxa |
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Synonyms |
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Anemone americana Anemone hepatica Hepatica americana Hepatica hepatica Hepatica nobilis var. obtusa Hepatica triloba var. americana Hepatica triloba var. obtusa |
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Common Names |
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American liverleaf hepatica liverleaf round-lobed hepatica roundlobe hepatica round-lobed liverleaf |
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Glossary
Bract
Modified leaf at the base of a flower stalk, flower cluster, or inflorescence.
Palmately divided
Similar to a hand. Having more than three lobes that radiate from a single point at the base of the leaf.
What’s in a Name?
In 2011 there were a handful scientific names for round-lobed hepatica used by authoritative taxonomic sources. Ten years later the situation has not improved. Here are several authoritative taxonomic sources and their sceintific name for round-lobed hepatica
as of 11/7/2021:
ITIS: Anemone americana
GRIN: Anemone americana
Tropicos: Anemone americana
Flora of North America: Anemone americana
NCBI: Hepatica americana
iNaturalist: Hepatica americana
Plants of the World Online: Hepatica americana
USDA PLANTS: Hepatica nobilis var. obtusa
The Plant List: Hepatica nobilis var. obtusa
World Flora Online: Hepatica nobilis var. obtusa
BONAP: Hepatica nobilis (does not separate round-lobed and sharp-lobed hepaticas)
NatureServe: Hepatica nobilis (does not separate round-lobed and sharp-lobed hepaticas)
Wikipedia: Anemone hepatica (not an “authoritative” source but often one of the most up to date)
IPNI: All of the above (“...not formulated to make judgments pertaining to the most commonly accepted name.”)
Visitor Photos |
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Luciearl |
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MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos |
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Slideshows |
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| Hepatica.mp4 natpodnan |
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About
Uploaded on Feb 5, 2011 Doctrine of Signatures describes this plant as a cure to kidney disease. |
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Visitor Videos |
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Other Videos |
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| Liverleaf-Hepatica nobilis foxtrapper1972 |
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About
Published on Mar 23, 2013 Pa wild flower |
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| Hepatica americana Round-lobed Liverleaf QuipTV |
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About
Published on Sep 17, 2012 Common Name: hepatica, round-lobed liverleaf |
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Visitor Sightings |
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Report a sighting of this plant. |
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| This button not working for you? Simply email us at info@MinnesotaSeasons.com. Be sure to include a location. |
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| Luciearl 11/4/2021 |
Location: Fairview Twp., Cass County |
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| Luciearl 5/1/2020 |
Location: Fairview Twp., Cass County |
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| Luciearl 4/29/2020 |
Location: Fairview Twp., Cass County |
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| Ron Geppert 4/10/2011 |
FYI Today, Sunday April 10, 2011, I saw a thriving and generous population of both the Snow Trillium and Round Lobed Hepatica along the Blue Earth County Red Jacket Bike Trail just north of the Le Sueur River. I noticed the habitat map on your website <http://minnesotaseasons.com/Plants/round-lobed_hepatica.html> did not show Blue Earth County as a location for the Hepatica. |
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MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings |
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