Description
A native of deciduous montane forests and woodland edges in the north of Japan (Hokkaido). It is normally only 12-18 cm tall (and less at flowering) but it elongates after flowering and if growth is shaded its delicate, ferny foliage can reach 35 cm.
This is a tetraploid species (2n=32) and the true, wild plant is one of the parents involved in many of the clones of so-called “amurensis” (of horticulture).
The leaves are finely dissected and often bronze-tinged upon emergence in the spring. There are several flowers per plant, of bright yellow with the sepals equal to, or shorter than, the petals.
This is noticeably earlier than the other species, sometimes starting to flower in December and imparting this early character to its hybrids however ours is the true, pure species.
