Common Name:

General Information

Anemone altaica is a herbaceous, perennial plant growing 8 - 20cm tall from a prostrate, stolon-like rhizome. A single, leafy flowering stem is produced at intervals along the rhizome, the plant forming a clump of growth[, ].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine.

Known Hazards

Although no specific mention has been seen for this species, many members of this genus contain protoanemonin, an irritating acrid oil that is an enzymatic breakdown product of the glycoside ranunculin. While protoanemonin can cause severe topical and gastrointestinal irritation, it is unstable and changes into harmless anemonin when plants are dried or heated[, , , , ].

Botanical References

, ,

Range

Eastern Asia - Arctic Russia to China and Japan.

Habitat

Forests, scrub and streamsides; at elevations from 1,200 - 1,800 metres in central China[]. Coniferous and mixed forests, forest margins, grass plots, and more rarely meadows[].

Properties

Medicinal Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	0.15 m
Pollinators	Bees, Flies, Self
Self-fertile	Yes
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

A very hardy plant, tolerating temperatures down to at least -40°c[].
Prefers a moist but well drained peaty soil in some shade[].
Plants seem to be immune to the predations of rabbits[].
A greedy plant, inhibiting the growth of nearby plants, especially legumes[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

The rhizome is an aromatic stimulant and stomachic[]. It is used in the treatment of poor appetite and gastro-intestinal distension, insanity, melancholia, epilepsy and impaired consciousness[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - best sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe in the summer[]. Surface sow or only just cover the seed and keep the soil moist. Sow stored seed as soon as possible in late winter or early spring. The seed usually germinates in 1 - 6 months at 15°c[]. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in light shade in the greenhouse for at least their first year. When the plants are large enough, plant them out in the spring.
Division in late summer after the plant dies down.