Cylindrical Thimbleweed
Anemone cylindrica
The elongated seed heads resemble sewing thimbles, which eventually burst into a cottony, wool-like fluff to help the seeds catch the wind.
- Scientific name
- Anemone cylindrica
- Taxonomy
- Plantae › Tracheophyta › Magnoliopsida › Ranunculales › Ranunculaceae › Anemone
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- grassland
- Habitat
- Dry prairies, savannas, open upland woods, rocky slopes, and barrens.
- Diet
- Autotrophic (Photosynthesis)
- Range
- North America, United States, Canada
- Size
- 30 to 100 cm tall
- Lifespan
- 3-8 years (perennial)
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Habitat loss due to agricultural expansion, invasive species competition, and woody encroachment caused by fire suppression.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless to observe, but defensive if handled. The plant contains protoanemonin, a toxic sap that can cause skin blistering upon contact and severe gastrointestinal upset if ingested. Avoid crushing the stems or leaves. If sap contacts skin, wash immediately with soap and water; if ingested, seek medical attention.
Anemone cylindrica is an upright growing, clump forming herbaceous plant species in the genus Anemone and family Ranunculaceae. Plants grow 30–100 centimetres (12–39 in) tall, flowering early summer but often found flowering till late summer, the flowers are greenish-white. After flowering, the fruits are produced in a dense rounded columned spikes 20–35 millimetres (0.79–1.38 in) long. When the fruits, called achenes, are ripe they have gray-white colored, densely woolly styles, that allow them to blow away in the...
Photo: Dustin Snider, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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