Anemone multifida var. multifida
Pacific anemone, cut-leaf anemone, cut-leaf anemone
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) (via Wikimedia Commons) · CC0
Family: Ranunculaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Conservation status: CNPS 2B.2
Anemone multifida var. multifida (Pacific anemone) is a native California herb in the Ranunculaceae family, recognized by . Key features: tallest species, multiple flowers, colorful sepals.
Pacific anemone is a rare (CNPS 2B.2) California native perennial found in the Klamath Ranges (Marble Mountains) and northern Sierra Nevada (The Dardanelles, Alpine County) on open, gravelly or rocky subalpine slopes at elevations of 1,700 to 2,750 meters. Flowering from April to July, this plant produces flowers in colors ranging from green to yellow, blue, purple, red, or white, with 5 to 9 sepals 6 to 17 millimeters long. Growing 40 to 70 centimeters tall with ascending to erect caudex branches and soft-shaggy-hairy stems, it develops a distinctive branching structure. Its compound leaves are 1 to 2-ternate, with terminal leaflets broadly diamond-shaped to obovate, 2.5 to 4.5 centimeters long and having dissected margins in the distal third. The fruit is a woolly to densely silky-hairy ellipsoid body 3 to 4 millimeters long with a short 1 to 2 millimeter beak.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 6 sympatric species. Key features: tallest species, multiple flowers, colorful sepals
Habitat and range
Habitat: Open, gravelly or rocky slopes, +- subalpine
Elevation: 1700-2750 m
California counties: Siskiyou, Alpine
Outside California: western North America, to northeastern United States, eastern Canada, Chile, Argentina
Bloom period
Anemone multifida var. multifida blooms Apr-Jul.
Conservation status
CNPS 2B.2
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 multifida var. multifida native to California?
Yes. Anemone multifida var. multifida is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Anemone multifida var. multifida bloom?
Anemone multifida var. multifida blooms Apr-Jul.
Where in California does Anemone multifida var. multifida grow?
Anemone multifida var. multifida occurs in Siskiyou, Alpine, at elevations of 1700-2750 m.
What plant family does Anemone multifida var. multifida belong to?
Anemone multifida var. multifida is in the Ranunculaceae family, genus Anemone.
Is Anemone multifida var. multifida rare or endangered?
Anemone multifida var. multifida carries California Rare Plant Rank 2B.2, state rank S1S2.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos · CDFW CNDDB
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.