The Pasque Flower

There are around 40 species within the Pulsatilla genus and are members of the buttercup family, Ranunculaceae, which comes from the Latin for little frog (ranunculus) because a group of plants in this family grow where you also find frogs.

All of the species are native to the meadows and prairies of North America, Europe and Asia. They are tundra plants, growing low to the ground in open areas including rocky outcrops and chalk grasslands.

The pasque flower is a stunningly beautiful purple, white and even pink flower growing up to 25cm and the leaves. Living on prairies and grasslands can be difficult, by flowering early the pasque flower can take advantage of the early spring before the surrounding vegetation has chance to grow.

They have evolved several adaptations to take full advantage of this time. The stems and buds are covered in fine silky hairs that help to insulate them against the cold being an early spring flower. Another adaptation they have is that the sepals (the green leaf-like structures that enclose the petals, are arranged in such a way that they reflect the sunlight increasing the temperature in the plant and they are able to track the path of the sun allowing them to absorb solar radiation throughout the day. This allows them to maintain a higher daytime temperature of the flower increasing the rate at which the seed develop and also providing a favourable spot for pollinators.

The pasque flower reproduces in a couple of ways, the first is mainly through buds forming daughter rosettes close to the mother plant, but they do also produce seeds once they've flowered but they require the perfect habitat conditions to germinate. however the seeds themselves are incredibly interesting structures as they have to get through the tough grasses and into the soil. The pasque flower seeds bury themselves by the use of alternating strands of tissue known as an awn, these individual strands vary in their ability to absorb moisture and as the rains come and go the awns twist and turn affectingly drilling the seeds into the soil. The pasque flower can be a very long lived species, living up to 50 years in prime locations.

Possibly one of our most beautiful wildflowers, the pasque flower (Pulsatilla vulgaris) is a rare wildflower in the UK and is listed as vulnerable and is restricted to just a few chalk and limestone grasslands in the Cotswolds, Chilterns, East Anglia and Lincolnshire, it is often found growing in areas with Bird's-foot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus), Harebell (Campanula rotundifolia), Horseshoe Vetch (Hippocrepis comosa), Burnet-saxifrage (Pimpernella saxifraga) and Wild Thymes (Thymus sp.)

The pasque flower normally blooms around Easter, the name "Pasque" is derived from Paschal meaning 'of Easter', In Christian symbolism, the pasque flower is associated with ideas of rebirth, dignity, nobility and grace. Its purple pigmentation used to be used to stain Easter eggs. It is also known as the anemone of Passiontide and is steeped in legend and folklore across the world. Elsewhere, there is an ancient legend that says that the pasque blooms only in places where the blood of Roman and Dane warriors has soaked deep into the soil. Its name, pasquilla, stems from the Hebrew word for Easter, “pasakh.” In the Rocky Mountain regions of North America it was considered to be one of four sacred plants and in Greek mythology, it is said that the flower came into being after Aphrodite, goddess of love, learnt of her partner's death and her tears became the pasque.

Medicinal Properties

As with many plants, the pasque flower have various medicinal properties. Traditionally, pasque flowers were used to treat disease of the eye including cataracts and is a remedy for conditions involving the nervous system, specifically helping insomnia, nervousness and heart palpitations. It also has analgesic and anti-spasmodic properties and increases venous circulation to induce sweating and breaks fevers. It engenders inner strength, vitality and stability.