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Spring Pheasant's Eye Wikimedia Commons
Ranunculaceae

Spring Pheasant's Eye

Adonis vernalis

Fond memories.

Family
Ranunculaceae
Genus
Adonis
Native to
Europe, Central Asia
Bloom season
Spring
Type
perennial herb
Height
0.5-1 ft
Sunlight
full sun
Soil
Well-drained, calcareous soil
Water
low
Hardiness
4-7
Lifespan
perennial

Did you know

  • Spring Pheasant's Eye blooms extremely early, sometimes pushing through late snow to display its bright yellow petals.
  • The glossy petals act like tiny satellite dishes, reflecting and concentrating sunlight to warm visiting pollinators.
  • It grows painfully slowly, sometimes taking 5 to 7 years from seed to first bloom in the garden.
  • The plant contains adonitoxin and cymarin, cardiac glycosides that have been used in Russian folk medicine for heart conditions.
  • It is the national flower of the Adyghe people of the Caucasus region and features in their cultural traditions.

Color meanings

0

cherished remembrance

1

bitter-sweet recollection

Uses

  • rock gardens
  • pharmaceutical source