Spring species of the deciduous undergrowth of Europe and Western Asia, distinguished from all other common European anemones by its bright yellow color, unique in the genus for temperate species of our flora. Range extending from Western Europe — present in France mainly in the Northeast, in Belgium, in Germany — to Southern Scandinavia, Central and Eastern Europe, and to Western Siberia. In France, uneven and often localized distribution, rarer and more continental than A. nemorosa with which it frequently cohabits.
Morphology : rhizomatous plant 10 to 25 cm, very close to A. nemorosa in its habit and general architecture. Basal leaves poorly developed at anthesis, cauline collar of three leaves deeply divided into narrow and toothed segments, similar to those of A. nemorosa but generally with narrower and deeper divisions. Solitary flowers or sometimes in pairs or threes, borne on erect peduncles, composed of 5 to 8 bright and shiny yellow tepals, indeed reminiscent of the color of buttercups — hence the species name and the vernacular name. Yellow stamens blending harmoniously into the general color of the flower, without marked contrast, unlike most of its congeners.
Ecology similar to that of A. nemorosa : vernal geophyte species of cool and humid deciduous forests, beech groves, oak-hornbeam groves, alluvial alder-ash groves, completing its flowering and growth before the trees bud. Often associated with A. nemorosa , and the two species naturally hybridize to produce Anemone × seemenii , an intermediate hybrid with pale creamy sulfur yellow or yellowish white flowers, testifying to the genetic proximity of the two parents.
Less frequently cultivated than A. nemorosa but deserving for natural gardens and undergrowth, bringing a rare bright yellow note in spring. Some horticultural cultivars exist, notably forms with double flowers appreciated by collectors.