The Apennine Windflower, or Blue Anemone is already mentioned in the second half of the 16th century under different names in various herbal books. De Lobel reports (1576, 1581) that the plant occurs in the gardens of Jean de Brancion and Joris van Rye in Mechelen. Jean de Brancion had a garden with a very large collection of rare plants. He was friends with Dodonaeus and Clusius, herbalists from the Southern Netherlands (https://stinze-stiens.nl/blog/christine-bertolf-en-dodonaeus-netwerken-in-de-zestiende-eeuw/) .

The plant grows naturally in southern Europe and prefers humic, lighter lime-rich soil and grows in moist, light, nutrient-rich, slightly shaded areas in forests and thickets. It blooms in March / April. It propagates through rhizomes, but does not expand quickly. It looks like the Balkan anemone (Anemone blanda).

Philippusfenne is an interesting place to see the Blue Anemone and here and there it occurs at Martenastate and Jongemastate.