Pulsatilla occidentalis S. Watson
western pasqueflower
Ranunculaceae (Buttercup family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
western pasqueflower
Ranunculaceae (Buttercup family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
Species Information
General:
Perennial herb from a taprooted, woody stem-base; stems erect, 10-60 cm tall; soft-hairy.
Leaves:
Basal, (2) 3 to 6 (8), ascending, 4-8 cm long, 3-parted with each leaflet 2- to 3-times pinnatifid, the margins pinnatifid to dissected throughout, the ultimate segments linear, 1-2 mm wide, soft-hairy; stalks 6-8 cm long.
Flowers:
Inflorescence a solitary, terminal flower; flower stalks woolly or densely soft-hairy, becoming smooth in age; involucral bracts 3, sometimes more, leaf-like, similar to basal leaves, short-stalked; petals absent; sepals 5 to 7, petal-like, white, tinged purple near the bases on outside, egg-shaped, 15-30 mm long, 10-17 mm wide, hairy outside, smooth inside; stamens 150-200.
Fruits:
Achenes, numerous in a spheric head, rarely cylindric, on stalks 15-20 cm long, the achenes ellipsoid, 3-4 mm long, about 1.5 mm wide, not winged, soft-hairy; beaks (styles) curved to curved back with age, 2-5 cm long, silky-feathery.
Illustration
If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.
Illustration Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia
Ecology
Ecological Framework for Pulsatilla occidentalis
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
| Site Information |
Value / Class |
||
|
Avg |
Min |
Max |
|
| Elevation
(metres) |
2035 | 32 | 2610 |
| Slope
Gradient (%) |
30 | 0 | 190 |
|
Aspect (degrees) |
177 | 0 | 360 |
| Soil
Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric] |
3 | 0 | 7 |
| Modal
Nutrient Regime
Class |
C | ||
| #
of field plots species was recorded in: |
841 | ||
| Modal
BEC Zone Class |
ESSF | ||
|
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in |
AT(66), BAFA(6), CMA(7), ESSF(621), IMA(38), MH(2), MS(1), PP(1) | ||
|
Source:
Klinkenberg 2013
|
|||
Habitat and Range
Mesic meadows and forest openings from the montane to alpine zones; common in S BC; E to AB and S to ID, MT and N CA.Status Information
Synonyms
Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Anemone occidentalis