Flower profile

Canada anemone

Anemonastrum canadense

Canada anemone (Anemonastrum canadense) is a flowering plant in the Ranunculaceae family, blooming mostly May–June across the U.S.

Canada anemone is a flowering plant. It's on our flower lists for 6 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in May–June.

–states where USDA records it

6Bloomipedia state lists include it

13,758U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin

Quick look

Anemonastrum canadense, synonym Anemone canadensis, the Canada anemone, round-headed anemone, round-leaf thimbleweed, meadow anemone, windflower, or crowfoot, is a herbaceous perennial flowering plant in the family Ranunculaceae. It is native to moist meadows, thickets, streambanks, and lakeshores in North America, spreading rapidly by underground rhizomes. It is valued for its white flowers.
From Wikipedia's article Anemonastrum canadense, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Ranunculaceae family. ^iNaturalist
NatureServe lists it as native to Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, South Dakota and North Dakota. ^NatureServe
In Minnesota, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in May–June. ^iNaturalist
In Michigan, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in May–July. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 3,206 research-grade sightings of it in Minnesota, ranking #26 among the 152 flowers on our Minnesota list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 2,080 research-grade sightings of it in Michigan, ranking #75 among the 172 flowers on our Michigan list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 1,858 research-grade sightings of it in Wisconsin, ranking #81 among the 161 flowers on our Wisconsin list. ^iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (1,332 records)

Bloom time in the 6 states whose Bloomipedia list includes it

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Minnesota	Native	May–June	3,206
Michigan	Native	May–July	2,080
Wisconsin	Native	May–July	1,858
Iowa	Native	May–June	564
South Dakota	Native	few records (6)	257
North Dakota	Native	few records (31)	195

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA)

Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}

NatureServe global

G5 Secure worldwide. ^NatureServe

State rare plant lists

Not listed Not on the official rare plant list in 4 of our 6 states.

See each state

Minnesota: Not listed Not on Minnesota endangered, threatened and special concern plants (Minn. R. 6134.0300). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Minnesota. ^{Minn. R. 6134.0300}
Michigan: Not listed Not on Michigan endangered and threatened plants (Mich. Admin. Code R 299.1028, eff. March 20, 2023). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Michigan. ^{R 299.1028}
Wisconsin: Not listed Not on Wisconsin endangered and threatened species list (Wis. Admin. Code NR 27.03). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Wisconsin. ^{NR 27.03}
Iowa: Not listed Not on Iowa endangered, threatened and special concern plants (Iowa Admin. Code r. 571-77.3). NatureServe: S4, apparently secure in Iowa. ^{IAC 571-77.3}

South Dakota

No list South Dakota's endangered and threatened list (ARSD 41:10:02) covers animals only, so we show NatureServe's South Dakota ranks for plants. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in South Dakota.

North Dakota

No list North Dakota has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's North Dakota ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in North Dakota.

Rare elsewhere

Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: CT (S2), DC (SH), KY (SX), MD (SH), NJ (S1), TN (SX), VA (SH), WV (S1), WY (S2). (S1 critically imperiled, S2 imperiled, SH possibly extirpated, SX presumed extirpated.)

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleNot well documented

None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant)) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list.

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.