Description Argh, the thimbleweeds have been driving me crazy for years—not a fault of the plants themselves, which are lovely, but because it seems so difficult to get correctly named seeds. I started with seeds that a reputable source was selling as Anemone cylindrica, and I thought the resulting plants were accurately identified. But then, I was reading up on A. virginiana, which is similar-looking, and started to get confused. I bought seeds of A. virginiana from the same source for comparison, and those seedlings turned out basically identical to their A. cylindrica. The seedheads don’t seem quite as elongated as typical A. cylindrica, though, and the plants tend to get quite tall. I keep reading different descriptions of both species, and right now, I’m inclined to think that my A. virginiana really is that, and that my “A. cylindrica” is actually A. virginiana. So…what does all this mean to you? If you must have the true species of either thimbleweed, I don’t recommend buying the seeds from me. Otherwise, I think it’s safe to assume these are truly A. virginiana with a natural amount of genetic variation, or possibly intermediate between the two species. Either way, you’ll have an interesting native perennial with many attractive traits. The clump-forming plants have a narrow, upright habit, usually reaching 3 to 4 feet tall, with deeply lobed, rich green foliage. They bloom in early to midsummer here in PA (earlier in warmer areas), with a raised center surrounded by greenish white to bright white, petal-like sepals. After the sepals drop, the green centers elongate into a thimble-like seedhead, darkening by fall and finally popping into a white fluff as the seeds mature, creating a pretty show until they eventually blow away and often producing self-sown seedlings. Anemone virginiana is native to much of the eastern half of North America. Full sun to full shade; average to dry soil. Perennial; Zones 3 to 8. Collected in September 2025. At least 20 seeds. Unknown ecotype. Shipping to U.S. addresses only. Please read the germination information as well before ordering.
