This charming alpine species can be found at the top of the Limestone Rock Garden.
Pulsatilla rubra is synonymous with P. vulgaris ssp. rubra and Anemone vulgaris ssp. rubra, or pasque flower. It is an early-spring, clump-forming species, with deeply-divided, softly-hairy foliage, and semi-pendent, downy, bell-shaped flowers, which are deep wine in colour. These are followed by attractive silky seed heads, which glisten in the sun. The red form is limited in its distribution to France and Spain, while P. vulgaris occurs on chalk grassland from France to Ukraine, and also in a few locations in the United Kingdom. The common name originates from the French ‘pasque’, meaning Easter, and the flower, which often coincides with Easter, is often considered to herald the arrival of spring.