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Ranunculaceae
Herb Trinity
Hepatica nobilis
The Holy Trinity, trust, and spring's first breath.
- Family
- Ranunculaceae
- Genus
- Hepatica
- Native to
- Europe, Eastern Asia
- Bloom season
- Early Spring
- Type
- herbaceous perennial
- Height
- 5–15 cm
- Sunlight
- part shade to full shade
- Soil
- moist, humus-rich, calcareous
- Water
- moderate
- Hardiness
- 4–8
- Lifespan
- perennial; very long-lived
Did you know
- The name 'herb trinity' comes from the three-lobed leaves, which medieval Christians saw as a symbol of the Holy Trinity.
- Hepatica means 'liver' in Latin — the lobed leaves resembled a liver, so doctrine of signatures prescribed it for liver ailments.
- In Japan, hepatica breeding is a refined art, with rare double-flowered forms selling for thousands of dollars.
- It is one of the very first woodland wildflowers to bloom in spring, often appearing while snow still lingers.
- The flowers open only in sunshine and close on cloudy days and at night to protect their pollen.
Color meanings
0
confidence
1
trust
2
trinity