Anemone tuberosa
Tuber anemone
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Family: Ranunculaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Anemone tuberosa (Tuber anemone) is a native California herb in the Ranunculaceae family.
Tuber anemone is a California native perennial found in the eastern Desert Mountains, eastern Mojave Desert, and northeastern Desert Sonoran regions on rocky slopes and ledges at elevations of 900 to 1,900 meters. Flowering from April to May, this plant produces delicate pink to white flowers with 8 to 10 linear-oblong sepals 10 to 14 millimeters long. Growing 10 to 30 centimeters tall with a slender caudex topped by a distinctive tuber, it develops 1 to 3 ternate leaves with deeply lobed leaflets. Its leaves feature terminal leaflets 2 to 3 centimeters long with intricate dissected margins, creating a finely textured appearance. The plant produces an aggregate fruit about 20 to 30 millimeters long with a short, soft-puberulent beak.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 0 sympatric species - geographically isolated in desert regions
Habitat and range
Habitat: Rocky slopes, ledges
Elevation: 900-1900 m
California counties: San Bernardino, Inyo, San Diego, Riverside, Sierra, Amador
Outside California: to Utah, Texas, northern Mexico
Bloom period
Anemone tuberosa blooms Apr-May.
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 tuberosa native to California?
Yes. Anemone tuberosa is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Anemone tuberosa bloom?
Anemone tuberosa blooms Apr-May.
Where in California does Anemone tuberosa grow?
Anemone tuberosa occurs in San Bernardino, Inyo, San Diego, Riverside, Sierra, Amador, at elevations of 900-1900 m.
What plant family does Anemone tuberosa belong to?
Anemone tuberosa is in the Ranunculaceae family, genus Anemone.
What habitat does Anemone tuberosa grow in?
Anemone tuberosa grows in Rocky slopes, ledges.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
- Anemone deltoidea — Columbian windflower
- Anemone drummondii var. drummondii — Drummond's anemone
- Anemone grayi — Blue windflower
- Anemone lyallii — Little mountain thimbleweed
- Anemone multifida var. multifida — Pacific anemone
- Anemone occidentalis — Western anemone
- Aquilegia eximia — Serpentine columbine
- Aquilegia formosa — Crimson columbine
- Aquilegia pubescens — Sierra columbine
- Aquilegia shockleyi — Desert columbine
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.