Penny Perspectives - Anemone Lyallii

Day 208: Tiny Anemone lyallii (Lyall's Anemone) is relatively uncommon in Mount Rainier National Park, and it is often overlooked because of its size, which this Penny Perspective clearly demonstrates. It can be distinguished from similar A. deltoides by the leaf arrangement (three "threes" in the case of A. lyallii and only one set of three in A. deltoides). A third species (Anemone oregana) is larger, although small specimens can be confused with A. lyallii. The distinction between the two is most easily made when the plants are in bloom. Oregon Anemone has 35 or more stamens, Lyall's less than 35. Lyall's may also be listed as Western Wood Anemone in some field guides.

Fame Or Notoriety

Day 264: Shortly after Arnie began his present tour of duty at Mount Rainier National Park, he jokingly assigned me the task of finding plants previously unrecorded within our boundaries. More than once now, he's had occasion to say, "I was kidding! I didn't think you'd take me literally!" when I have shown him a new species or a new location for a particular plant. Not all my finds have been joyous, though, and this year, my fame as a plant sleuth is verging on notoriety, an ungratifying turn towards the negative end of the spectrum. Earlier this year, I found our first Teasel, a nasty invasive.

Feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium) is my latest addition to the list of Park plants. A few days ago, I found a single specimen of this garden relative of Common Tansy growing in disturbed soil. I left it where it was, waiting for orders from Arnie when he returns from leave. Further complicating matters, the base of the plant is surrounded by roughly a hundred specimens of Anemone lyallii, a plant known to occur in only a few places in the Park. The Feverfew will have to be handled in such a manner that the A. lyallii is disturbed as little as possible. If that wasn't enough, close by, the alders were losing their leaves to Cottonwood Leaf Beetles and several young Douglas firs were coated with Woolly Adelgids, two more issues I'll be serving to Arnie's already-full plate. I am reminded of that old Chinese curse, "May you live in interesting times." It's definitely been an interesting week.

Anemone Lyallii And Friend

Day 225: Anemone lyallii (Lyall's Anemone) was thought to be relatively uncommon in the Park until Team Biota discovered two healthy populations in two widely separated locations. It is distinguished in the field from its cousin Anemone oregana by a slightly different leaf structure and by the number of stamens in its flower (A. oregana has 35-100 as opposed to lyallii's 12-20). The flower can be white, blue or pink. Although oregana is larger than lyallii, both are significantly smaller than the familiar Western Anemone (A. occidentalis). Lyallii is the smallest of the three, standing only a few inches high.

Penny Perspectives - Anemone Lyallii

Day 207: When visitors to Mount Rainier National Park hear the word "anemone," the most likely image to spring to mind will be that of the "mop-heads" so common in sub-alpine meadows. Less frequently, people may recall floppy white flowers with yellow centers and lacy leaves. Those icons of the high country are Western Pasqueflower (Anemone occidentalis). However, they are not the only anemones to be found in the Park. Anemone lyallii (Western Wood Anemone) is much less common and much more elusive. Its colour is variable, ranging from white to pink or pale lavender. It can be distinguished from its close cousin Anemone oregana by the number of stamens and its somewhat smaller size. Shown here in a Penny Perspective, Anemone lyallii is truly a tiny treasure!

Western Wood Anemone, Anemone Lyallii

Day 256 (Part B): Western Wood Anemone, aka Lyall's Anemone is a relatively uncommon species which may occur in lowland forest to subalpine regions. It prefers a habitat of shady woodland. The inflorescence (flower) can range in color from blue to white (occasionally pinkish), and it can be distinguished from A. oregana by observation of the stamens. A. oregana generally has more than 35. These specimens were noted at the west end of public parking at Longmire on June 15, 2013.