Sharp-Lobed Hepatica

An early spring wildflower with lavender flowers and 3-lobed leaves.

The word "hepatica" is derived from the Latin word for "liver", which refers to the supposed resemblance of the leaves to the liver. This resemblance led early herbalists to assume that these plants would be effective in treating liver ailments.

comments (3)

Christine Young

Lion

I'm not sure why, but this is coming up as Anemone hepatica, when it is actually Anemone acutiloba. Posted 7 years ago
1. morpheme
  
  Lion
  
  It would appear that there's been some back and forth over whether or not these are different species or variations within the species.. There's a large list of species synonyms in the Wikipedia (where the site draws first from for identification information) and A. hepatica and A. acutiloba are both on it (along with about 20 others). Posted 7 years ago
2. 1. Christine Young
    
    Lion
    
    Okay, thanks for the information. I see that some list it separately, others as a subspecies, etc. Thanks for your help! Posted 7 years ago

The Liverleaf

''Hepatica nobilis'' or ''Anemone americana'' is a herbaceous perennial in the buttercup family. It is native to the eastern United States and to central and eastern Canada.

Info 29 0

Similar species: Ranunculales

Species identified by Jivko Nakev