The anemone, a stem that’s considered to be to be a harbinger of spring. Famed for its vibrant petals, the delicate anemone is native to European countries, North America, and Japan, while its name derives from the Greek word ‘anemos’, meaning ‘daughter of the wind’…
![Floom Anemone 5](https://floom.imgix.net/general/Floom-anemone-5.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1440&s=43b11179df5ad8e4f6d91dea8fd4405a 1440w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/Floom-anemone-5.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1000&s=86f22503cafda647fff1cc072556a88b 1000w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/Floom-anemone-5.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=600&s=8f6bb74dd3059cf36d7566f96ed0aac9 600w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/Floom-anemone-5.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=400&s=54aee07d2e64a74dddb35a359c630ac9 400w)
A brief history...
Ovid’s Metamorphoses offers a fitting origin story for the anemone. According to the Roman poet, the plant was created by the goddess Venus, who sprinkled nectar upon the blood of her slain lover, Adonis. It is a fittingly Romantic creation story for a plant with blooms that are as rich and intense in colour as they are delicate.
![Floom Anemone 1](https://floom.imgix.net/general/Floom-anemone-1.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1440&s=98e13561fed199d6fcbd647d3381de2f 1440w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/Floom-anemone-1.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1000&s=252d910627eb95bb7f4ade7ba2de4ae1 1000w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/Floom-anemone-1.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=600&s=c423495257d83a9be8789e8b32e40906 600w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/Floom-anemone-1.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=400&s=9284fd1fd9214de0501b2bb84905e00b 400w)
Ancient history aside, anemone are part of of the ranunculaceae family, and a genus of over 200 species. Meanwhile, its star-shaped flowers are formed from anything from four to almost thirty intricately arranged petals, that can often be swept away at the slightest of gusts. Thus the ‘daughter of the wind’ translation. In turn, the anemone is often called the ‘windflower’, while others choose to refer to it as the ‘smellfox’ or the ‘crowfoot’. Meanwhile, in China, the anemone has adopted a not-so-romantic moniker: flower of death, and in Egypt the stem is regarded as a symbol of sickness. Words of warning: always do your cultural research before deciding which stems to send!
![Floom Anemone 3](https://floom.imgix.net/general/Floom-anemone-3.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1440&s=ebba61f39ba65d0b5aac46d75eb6ee41 1440w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/Floom-anemone-3.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1000&s=f1442a28a6fb399d42006fa9635dcb0d 1000w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/Floom-anemone-3.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=600&s=be04184879ecc2b5967c43132dbbb791 600w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/Floom-anemone-3.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=400&s=75be809b7ab74fff53bcd726e9e09086 400w)
Magical Meanings
Many ‘meanings’ having been attributed to the anemone over the years, ranging from superstitious beliefs that the flower can protect from evil ill wishes and diseases to more epic, romantic gestures of forsaken love and bereavement. We’re probably most enamoured however with their association with fairies and the magic that occurs at twilight: a dusky light falling upon fantastical, twinkle-toed beings as they dance upon the delicate petals of an anemone in full bloom.
![Floom Anemone 4](https://floom.imgix.net/general/Floom-anemone-4.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1440&s=154cd2d12a59115e683a8fb46641f88e 1440w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/Floom-anemone-4.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1000&s=c58cd3fc49e741f955e67cdbb9a41ca2 1000w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/Floom-anemone-4.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=600&s=97ccde5742c948f2da19bdf2fb79e100 600w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/Floom-anemone-4.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=400&s=9b9c720ac0650f22da7a04962be4f4e2 400w)
The Japanese Anemone
Native to European countries, North America, and Japan, over the years the Japanese anemone – which blooms from August until late October – has gained widespread popularity, partly due to its appearance, and partly due to its long-lasting nature. First discovered by plantsman Eric Smith at Hadspen House in Somerset in the late 1970s, the Japanese anemone was first listed by Ben Chatto in 1980. It’s the Japanese anemone’s unusual formation that makes it so unique – the flowers are made up of two smaller darker petals and three slightly larger, paler ones, set against dark foliage that equates to a distinctive two-tone effect. However, the term Japanese anemone is a little misleading, for the hupehensis stem is actually native to the Hupeh province in eastern China, but it was grown in Japanese gardens for centuries, hence the confusing name.
![1 Floom Magazine Flower Of The Week Japanese Anemone 1](https://floom.imgix.net/general/1_floom_magazine_flower_of_the_week_japanese_anemone_1.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1440&s=9ec24b3435ae60716a3e9089eb9407e4 1440w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/1_floom_magazine_flower_of_the_week_japanese_anemone_1.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1000&s=015fe50f1d1e255f54d36fc77b55f9cf 1000w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/1_floom_magazine_flower_of_the_week_japanese_anemone_1.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=600&s=77e9011e4e2cc87751808bafc03c305c 600w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/1_floom_magazine_flower_of_the_week_japanese_anemone_1.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=400&s=63b1c610fe5644528a5b2dfd86546ac6 400w)
Medicinal Qualities
In medicine, anemones possess opposing uses – they can be used for both hurting and healing. While the anemone nemorosa is known to be highly poisonous to humans, the plant of the anemone pulsatilla – when in bloom – can be made into a tincture used to provide relief from ailments such as menstrual cramps and emotional distress. Meanwhile in Rome, anemones were once used as talismans, believed to prevent fevers.
![Floom Anemone 2](https://floom.imgix.net/general/Floom-anemone-2.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1440&s=184b4493208a9c0d0478d46862fe8d9e 1440w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/Floom-anemone-2.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1000&s=d3459b63472f45c454faab9bd212647b 1000w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/Floom-anemone-2.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=600&s=553dd437f2b5c871eaabaa627200043e 600w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/Floom-anemone-2.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=400&s=0774b1463dd1b70fcfcc16d49672d8ec 400w)
All About The Looks
Striking the vibrant stem might be, while the flower looks like it might have a scent to match its beauty, the anemone is in fact scentless. In other words, the hungry bumble bee turns its nose up to the anemone, so it has to rely on other insects for fertilization. During the day, the bewitching blooms turn their petals upwards toward the sunshine, but by night, the clever creatures bow their heads to protect their seed pods from unwanted drops of rain.