Adonis multiflora ("Michinokufukujuso")

Japanese name: ミチノクフクジュソウ （陸奥福寿草）
Scientific name: Adonis multiflora

[Overview]
A perennial growing in deciduous forests.
It has a thick, short rhizome and produces many roots.
The stem grows about 10–25 cm tall.
There are no basal leaves; the stem leaves are alternate and finely divided, pinnately 3–4 times.
There are small stipules at the base of the leaves.
The petioles are long.
The stem tip usually bears 3–4 golden-yellow flowers 3–5 cm across.
The flowers usually have 5 sepals and 10–15 petals.
The petals are about 1.2–2.6 cm long, clearly longer than the sepals, and the back of the tip is tinged with red.
The sepals are 1/2–2/3 as long as the petals.
The flowers open in sunlight and close when it is shaded.
The flower is shaped like a shallow bowl, and it is said that it may gather sunlight at its center to warm the air, attracting pollinating insects and making them more active.
The fruit is an obovate achene 4–5 mm long.
Short hairs cover the whole fruit.
At flowering the stem has not elongated, and only the flowers sit on a short stem wrapped in bracts; the stem and leaves elongate after flowering.
By the time the surrounding trees and grasses grow thick, it has set fruit and the aboveground part has died back, ending its activity; it is a spring ephemeral.

[Cultivation]
Propagate from seed or by division.
Sow seed fresh, right after it is harvested.
Do not divide the plant too finely; divide it so that it separates naturally, taking care of the buds hidden among the roots.
From winter through the flowering period keep it in a sunny place, and after the leaves have emerged in bright shade.
For plants in the ground, under deciduous trees is good.
It prefers well-drained soil rich in organic matter.
For potted plants, water generously from sprouting through the period when leaves are present, and after the leaves fall give just enough so that it does not dry out.
For plants in the ground, no watering is particularly necessary.
From the end of flowering until the aboveground part dies back, apply liquid fertilizer once every 2 weeks, or place slow-release fertilizer on the soil.
Pests and diseases include gray mold, anthracnose, viral disease, southern blight, slugs, spider mites, cutworms and aphids.

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