At 7500 feet the Pasqueflower appears in our sunny front
yard in early spring, in April, preceding Easter. More appear throughout May
behind our house in the shade of the lodgepole pines.
The light lavender of the flower would not stand out from
the pine needles it hovers over if not for the bright yellow stamens in the center
that draw your eye.
Once the flower catches your attention and you bend over for
a closer look you see tiny silver hairs cover the entire plant. What appears to
be petals but are actually sepals give off a slight silver glow.
As the pasqueflower blooms for two weeks the head of the
flower droops slightly as if in prayer. The mature plant is about 6” tall and
the flower 3-4 inches across.
Each time the sun warms the morning the flower opens for the
day. In the late afternoon the flower closes.
Information
Family- Buttercup
Genus- Anemone
One common name, Prairie smoke, because when many are seen
in a field the lowered heads appear as to be smoke.
There is one flower per flower stalk (peduncle).
Whorled leaves (a spiral) surround the stem.
The flower is made up of sepals instead of petals.
Inside the flower a cluster of white styles (connecting
the stigma which traps pollen and the ovary) are surrounded by a ring of yellow
stamen (made up of the anther, male part that makes the pollen, and the
filament)
For more information:
http://www.nps.gov/romo/pasqueflower.htm
