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Anemone, Windflower

Recommendations for Maintaining Postharvest Quality

anemone009
Michael S. Reid

Department of Plant Sciences, University of California, Davis

Maturity & Quality

Description

Anemone spp. Brightly colored in deep reds, blues, purples, and white, anemones have rather short stems, and are typically a spring flower. New, improved tetraploid varieties have recently been introduced into commerce. Anemone is an ancient Greek name meaning windflower from 'anemos' for wind.

Quality Indices

Flowers should be harvested when the buds are fully colored and 25–50% open, but before the petals have expanded and the pollen is shed. Purchase when true colors are showing.

Grading and Bunching

Anemones are normally sold in bunches of 10 stems.

Ethylene Sensitivity

Ethylene exposure causes petal shatter and reduced vase life.

Pretreatments

Pretreatment with STS or MCP prevents the deleterious effects of ethylene.

Storage Conditions

Anemones should be stored at 0-1°C, and may be dry-stored for at least one week. Store vertically.

Packing

The flowers are usually packed in standard horizontal fiberboard boxes.

Special Considerations

Anemone’s prominence and beauty in arrangements is a double-edged sword because of the flower’s relatively short vase life. It is preferable not to use anemones as focal points. Keep stems wrapped during re-hydration to help keep them straight. There is no scientific basis for the practice of piercing a hole through the flower base to extend life. Placing anemones in vases with freshly cut daffodils can reduce their life because of the harmful juices exuded from the daffodils.

Date

October 2004

Use of Materials

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Except for these specified uses, no part of the textual materials available on the UC Postharvest Technology Center Web site may be copied, downloaded, stored in a retrieval system, further transmitted or otherwise reproduced, stored, disseminated, transferred or used, in any form or by any means, except as permitted herein or with the University of California's prior written agreement. Request permission from UC Postharvest Technology Center. Distribution for commercial purposes is prohibited.

The information in this fact sheet represents our best understanding of the current state of knowledge at the time of the latest update, and does not represent an exhaustive review of all research results. Links to any of these UC Postharvest Technology Center pages are permitted, but no endorsement of the linking site or products mentioned in the linking page is intended or implied by such a link.

How to Cite

Author(s) names. Initial publication or update date (located at the top). Title. Link to the specific Produce Fact Sheet webpage (Accessed date)

Example: Cantwell, M. and T. Suslow. 2002. Lettuce, Crisphead: Recommendations for Maintaining Postharvest Quality. 

http://ucanr.edu/sites/Postharvest_Technology_Center_/Commodity_Resources/Fact_Sheets/Datastores/Vegetables_English/?uid=19&ds=799 (Accessed January 18, 2014).

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