Pheasant's Eye

Did you know

• In Greek mythology, Adonis was the beautiful youth loved by Aphrodite, and the flower sprang from his blood after he was fatally wounded by a boar.
• Each scarlet petal has a distinctive black blotch at its base, creating the dramatic 'eye' pattern that gives the plant its common name.
• It was once a common weed of European cereal fields, blooming scarlet among the wheat — modern herbicides have made it increasingly rare in agricultural landscapes.
• Related to the spring-blooming Adonis vernalis, a perennial whose yellow flowers have been used medicinally in Europe for centuries for heart conditions.
• The finely cut, feathery foliage resembles that of fennel and is as ornamental as the flowers, giving the plant a delicate, airy appearance.

Color meanings

Uses

• ornamental annual
• wildflower meadow
• cut flower