[Anemones and Windflowers: The Genus Anemone in the Cascade Mts. of Oregon and Washington]
Mountain Pasqueflower, Western Anemone, Western Pasqueflower, White Pasqueflower
Anemone occidentalis
Synonyms: Anemone occidentalis var. subpilosa, Pulsatilla occidentalis
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Mountain pasqueflowers with maturing seed heads observed along the Pacific Crest Trail #2000 in upper Cispus Basin, Goat Rocks Wilderness......August 19, 2020.
Photo at right of Anemone occidentalis.
Characteristics:
1. Basal leaves pinnately divided, parsley-like with long stalks. The stem leaves are smaller and not stalked.
2. Stalks are covered with long, soft whitish hairs. Each stem bears a single flower, and the plants may attain a height of 60 cm.
3. Flowers are large and showy, to 6 cm across. Petals are absent, but the 5 sepals are white or sometimes purplish, and surround a cluster of numerous yellow stamens and a central cluster of small, green pistils. Mountain Pasqueflower blooms soon after the snow melts, which is early summer.
4. Fruits are clusters of single, plumed achenes. The plumes are feathery in appearance, and may be 5-6 cm long. The plumes aid wind dispersal of the seeds. See the photo below.
5. I am not aware of anyone using this wildflower as a rock garden/ alpine meadow plant, nor am I sure how easy it is to propagate and transplant, but it is a gorgeous mountain wildflower, and its plumed seed heads are of added interest!
Habitat:
Mountain pasqueflower is found in mountain meadows near treeline.
Range:
Mountain pasqueflower is found from southern
British Columbia south through the Washington Cascades to Oregon, and into the Olympic Mts.
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Mountain pasqueflowers beginning to bloom under the lifts at Mount Hood Meadows Ski Area........July 6, 2013.
A plumed achene of mountain pasqueflower showing its seed heads as seen along the Timberline Trail in the Mount Hood Meadows Ski Area.......October 2, 2010.
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Western anemones both in flower and developing seeds along the upper portion of the South Fork Conrad Creek between the terminus of the Meade Glacier and Warm Lake, Goat Rocks Wilderness........July 23, 2016.
Mountain pasqueflower showing its seed heads as seen along the Timberline Trail in the Mount Hood Meadows Ski Area.......October 2, 2010.
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Plumed seed heads of mountain pasqueflower as seen at left above Crystal Lake, at the end of a trail that veers off the Pacific Crest Trail about one-quarter mile north of Sourdough Gap, Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest..........August 25, 2014. This location is several miles north of Chinook Pass. The photo at right shows mountain pasqueflower as seen at the Mt. Hood Meadows Ski Area, Mt. Hood........July 19, 2017.
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Mountain pasqueflower beginning to bloom in upper Jordan Basin along the Goat Ridge Trail #95, Goat Rocks Wilderness........July 12, 2018.
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Mountain pasqueflower in bloom along the Timberline and Umbrella Falls Trails at Mount Hood Meadows Ski Area......July 6, 2019.
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Mountain pasqueflower observed on slopes above the Mount Hood Meadows Ski Area, Mount Hood, OR......July 4, 2021.
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Mountain pasqueflower observed along the Vista Ridge Trail, Mount Hood Wilderness......October 5, 2022.
Plumed seed head of the mountain pasqueflower.
The seed head of mountain pasqueflower as seen near the junction of the Klickitat Trail #7 and Cispus Lookout Trail #127, Gifford Pinchot National Forest.........July 4, 2015.
Mountain pasqueflower near Mount Hood Meadows, Mt Hood N.F.......July 1993.
Paul Slichter