Enemion biternatum

Common Names

False Rue Anemone, Eastern False Rue Anemone

Summary

False Rue Anemone (Enemion biternatum) is a spring ephemeral native to eastern North America and southern Ontario, it grows about 4–16 inches tall, often forms large colonies, with slender reddish flowering stems arising from leaf axils; leaves are basal and cauline, deeply lobed, and white flowers with five petal-like sepals appear, containing 25–50 yellow stamens and producing no nectar; in cultivation, it prefers partial shade to full shade in moist, humus-rich soils and tolerates lime; it thrives in rich or calcareous woods, floodplain woods, and thickets, typically in USDA zones 3–8; the plant spreads by short rhizomes and seeds to form dense colonies and is well suited to woodland or shaded gardens; propagation is by division or seed, with clumps divisible in June when leaves die back; it provides early spring ground cover and serves as a pollen source for bees and other pollinators.

Lifecycle

Perennial

Height

4-16 inches

Spread

3-9 inches

Hardiness Zones

Zones 3-8

Sunlight Requirements

Full Sun to Partial Shade.

Soil Type

Rich, humus-rich, well-drained soil, typically moist to mesic and slightly acidic.

Soil Drainage

Moist but well-drained soil.

Soil pH

Tolerates all pH levels

Bloom Color

White

Bloom Time

Spring (March–May)

Foliage Color

Bright green, Dark green, Yellowish green

Fall Foliage Color

Green

Leaf Lifecycle

Deciduous

Growth Rate

Moderate

Seasons of Interest

Spring

Propagation Methods

Seeds, Division

Attracts Wildlife

Attracts bees and hoverflies