Grow Wild to Know Wild
Pasqueflower (Pulsatilla vulgaris)

Flowers: March to May
Preferred site: sunny

Description: a low, hairy plant with feathery leaves and large, single, purple flowers (50-80mm across). The bell-like flower heads are erect at first and droop later; the many stamens are yellow.

Habitats in the wild: this plant occurs on dry calcareous grasslands.

Conservation status and threats: Pasqueflower is a scarce, native plant, which has been lost from many of its former sites. Lack of grazing and scrub encroachment pose a serious threat to many of the remaining populations and its status in Britain is now considered to be Vulnerable.

Reasons for losses in the wild : extensive destruction of calcareous grasslands through agricultural "improvement".

Folklore/medicinal uses : the Pasqueflower is known as the Anemone of Passiontide. It blooms around Easter: hence the name "Pasque", meaning"like Paschal", of Easter. There is a legend the Pasqueflowers spring from the blood of Romans or Danes, as they can be found in certain areas on old earthworks such as barrows and boundary banks. This association is no doubt due to the flower's need for undisturbed chalk grassland (Flora Britannica by Richard Mabey).

Pasqueflower can be used in the treatment of tension headaches, neuralgia, insomnia, hyperactivity, bacterial skin infections, septicaemia, spasmodic coughs in asthma, whooping cough and bronchitis. In homeopathy, the plant is considered to be specific in the treatment of measles, but it is also used for treating nettle rash, toothache, earache and indigestion (Plants for a future).

Position in garden : a beautiful plant for a sunny position on very free-draining soils, and ideally suited for the rock garden or the front of the border. The Pasqueflower dislikes competition from other coarser growing garden plants, and will die under waterlogged conditions.

How to plant and when: as the Pasqueflower dislikes root disturbance, plant out young potted seed-raised plants at any time between spring and autumn, ensuring that they are well-watered as they become established.

Propagation: Pasqueflowers are difficult to propagate from root cuttings, and are best increased by seed, which should be sown immediately it ripens, during the summer months. Sow the plumed seeds thinly on a good, loam-based seed compost, with a fine covering of grit, and keep in a cold frame until germination occurs. Seedlings should be pricked out soon after they germinate to minimise root disturbance.

Varieties available: many varieties are available, the most frequent being 'Alba' with white flowers and 'Rubra' with very attractive reddish-purple flowers. See the RHS Plant Finder for others.

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