Anemone occidentalis
Western anemone
(c) Kostas Zontanos, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Kostas Zontanos · licence
Family: Ranunculaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Anemone occidentalis (Western anemone) is a native California herb in the Ranunculaceae family, recognized by . Key features: distinctive long plumose fruiting beaks, alpine habitat.
Western anemone is a California native perennial found in the Klamath Ranges, Cascade Range, and Sierra Nevada in open, rocky alpine slopes at elevations of 1,200 to 3,200 meters. Flowering from May to September, this plant produces white to purple flowers with 5 to 7 showy sepals 15 to 30 millimeters long. Growing with erect stems 10 to 60 centimeters tall, it develops a complex leaf structure with soft, shaggy-hairy foliage. Its leaves are intricately divided into 1-ternate or 1-2 pinnately lobed segments, with terminal leaflets 3 to 6 centimeters long and narrow linear segments about 2 to 3 millimeters wide. The fruit develops into a spheric aggregate with a curved, plumose beak 20 to 40 millimeters long, densely covered in woolly hairs.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 6 sympatric species. Key features: distinctive long plumose fruiting beaks, alpine habitat
Habitat and range
Habitat: Open, rocky slopes, alpine
Elevation: 1200-3200 m
California counties: Fresno, Trinity, Siskiyou, Alpine, San Bernardino, Shasta, Madera, El Dorado, Tulare, Mariposa, Tehama, Butte, Mono, Nevada, Lassen, Placer, Tuolumne
Outside California: to British Columbia, Montana
Bloom period
Anemone occidentalis blooms May-Sep.
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 occidentalis native to California?
Yes. Anemone occidentalis is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Anemone occidentalis bloom?
Anemone occidentalis blooms May-Sep.
Where in California does Anemone occidentalis grow?
Anemone occidentalis occurs in Fresno, Trinity, Siskiyou, Alpine, San Bernardino, Shasta, Madera, El Dorado and other counties, at elevations of 1200-3200 m.
What plant family does Anemone occidentalis belong to?
Anemone occidentalis is in the Ranunculaceae family, genus Anemone.
What habitat does Anemone occidentalis grow in?
Anemone occidentalis grows in Open, rocky slopes, alpine.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · 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.