Angiosperms (Flowering Plants) • Earth.com

Greater pasque flower

(Pulsatilla grandis)

galery
en

Description

Pulsatilla grandis, the greater pasque flower, is a species of flowering plant in the genus Pulsatilla of the family Ranunculaceae. It is a perennial plant that grows on calcium-rich soil in dry grasslands, in rocky outcrops, and in pine and oak forests. It flowers from February to April, in the time of the Easter (which gives it its name), with intensively blue to violet flowers. Its silk stalk is protected from the cold by velvety trichomes (hairs). Pulsatilla grandis is native to the countries of Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe, and is particularly frequent in Hungary. In some of them, it is classed as threatened. In Slovenia, Pulsatilla grandis (named velikonočnica, the Easter flower) is a rare and protected plant. It has four growing places in the country all of them are situated in the sub-Pannonian phytogeographical area in the northeastern part of Slovenia. The plant is the symbol of the Boč–Donatus Mountain Landscape Park. On a small rise near the Boč growing place, a stone sculpture of the flower, created by the sculptor Franc Tobias from Razvanje, has been put on display in the 2000s. Pulsatilla grandis is also depicted on the coat of arms of the Diocese of Celje. The genus Pulsatilla contains about 40 species of herbaceous perennial plants native to meadows and prairies of North America, Europe, and Asia. Derived from the Hebrew word for Passover, "pasakh", the common name pasque flower refers to the Easter (Passover) flowering period, in the spring. Common names include pasque flower (or pasqueflower), wind flower, prairie crocus, Easter flower, and meadow anemone. Several species are valued ornamentals because of their finely-dissected leaves, solitary bell-shaped flowers, and plumed seed heads. The showy part of the flower consists of sepals, not petals. The genus Pulsatilla was first formally named in 1754 by the English botanist Philip Miller. The type species is Pulsatilla vulgaris, the European pasque flower. It is sometimes considered a subgenus under the genus Anemone or as an informally named "group" within Anemone subg. Anemone sect. Pulsatilloides. Pulsatilla is a toxic plant. Misuse can lead to diarrhea, vomiting and convulsions, hypotension, and coma. It has been used as a medicine by Native Americans for centuries. Blackfoot Indians used it to induce abortions and childbirth. Pulsatilla should not be taken during pregnancy nor during lactation.

Taxonomic tree:

Domain:
Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum:
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order:Ranunculales
Family:Ranunculaceae
Genus:Pulsatilla
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