Anemone lyallii
Little mountain thimbleweed
(c) Kostas Zontanos, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Kostas Zontanos · licence
Family: Ranunculaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Anemone lyallii (Little mountain thimbleweed) is a native California herb in the Ranunculaceae family, recognized by . Key features: smallest flowers and lowest stamen count in genus.
Little mountain thimbleweed is a California native perennial found in the Klamath Ranges, northern California Ranges, and northern Sierra Nevada in moist shaded slopes and subalpine ridges at elevations of 100 to 1,900 meters. Flowering from March to July, this plant produces white, pink, or blue flowers with 5 to 7 delicate sepals approximately 3.5 to 8 millimeters long. Growing 5 to 30 centimeters tall with a spreading rhizome, it develops an upright stem with minimal foliage. Its distinctive leaf emerges with a long petiole 5 to 8 centimeters long, featuring a terminal leaflet that is ovate or oblanceolate with crenate to serrate margins on the upper half. The plant produces a compact, spherical fruit cluster with individual fruit bodies about 3 to 4 millimeters long and slightly white-hairy.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 6 sympatric species. Key features: smallest flowers and lowest stamen count in genus
Habitat and range
Habitat: Moist shaded slopes, subalpine ridges
Elevation: 100-1900 m
Outside California: to British Columbia
Bloom period
Anemone lyallii blooms Mar-Jul.
How to tell it apart
vs Dimorphotheca: Anemone has separate sepals and a whorl of bracts below flower; Dimorphotheca has many ray flowers forming a daisy-like head.; vs Pulsatilla: Anemone has bracts well below the flower; Pulsatilla has bracts directly beneath the flower and silky-hairy foliage.; vs Ranunculus: Anemone has flat flowers without glossy nectaries and a bract whorl; Ranunculus has cup-shaped glossy petals with nectaries.; vs Papaver: Anemone has 5-10 sepals and a bract whorl below flower; Papaver has 4 crinkled petals and no bracts.; vs Romneya: Anemone has 5-10 sepals on a small herb; Romneya has 6 large white crinkled petals on a woody shrub.
Frequently asked questions
Is Anemone lyallii native to California?
Yes. Anemone lyallii is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Anemone lyallii bloom?
Anemone lyallii blooms Mar-Jul.
What plant family does Anemone lyallii belong to?
Anemone lyallii is in the Ranunculaceae family, genus Anemone.
What habitat does Anemone lyallii grow in?
Anemone lyallii grows in Moist shaded slopes, subalpine ridges.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.