[1] The genus is closely related to several other genera including Anemonoides, Anemonastrum, Hepatica, and Pulsatilla.

[5] Anemone was named by Carl Linnaeus in 1753 and is situated in the tribe Anemoneae, subfamily Ranunculoideae, and the family Ranunculaceae.

[7] Early molecular analyses divided the genus into two subgenera (Anemonidium and Anemone), with seven sections, and 12 informal subsections.

[9] Ziman and colleagues (2008) treated the genus Anemone as 5 subgenera, 23 sections, 4 subsections, 23 series and about 118 species.

[8] Hoot et al. found many of the previously defined subdivisions, based on morphological characteristics were polyphyletic or paraphyletic.

Hoot et al. proposed the following two subgenera and several sections be retained, with a number of subsections and series: As of April 2020[update] Kew's Plants of the World Online lists 63 species in the genus Anemone:[1] According to the Oxford English Dictionary, Greek ἀνεμώνη (anemōnē) means 'daughter of the wind', from ἄνεμος (ánemos, 'wind') + feminine patronymic suffix -ώνη (-ṓnē, so 'daughter of').

[11] The Metamorphoses of Ovid says that the plant was created by the goddess Aphrodite when she sprinkled nectar on the blood of her dead lover Adonis, suggesting the frailty of the petals that can be easily blown away by the wind.

"Anemone" may also refer to Nea'man, the Phoenician name for Adonis, from an earlier Syrian myth of the god of vegetation, who was killed by the tusks of a wild boar.

[13][14] Anemone species are sometimes targeted by cutworms, the larvae of noctuid moths such as angle shades and heart and dart.

In horticultural terms there are three main groups: The spring-flowering autumn-planted ephemeral species Anemonoides blanda is grown in large-scale commercial cultivation and can be purchased in bulk quantities.

The violet, and especially pink, forms sometimes possess petals that fade to white near the flower center.

It is a tuberous-rooted plant with parsley-like divided leaves and large poppy-like blossoms on stalks of from 15–20 cm high.

In Israel, large numbers of red-flowering non-hybrid A. coronaria can be seen growing in certain natural areas.

They grow well in well-drained but moisture-retentive soil and reach 60–100 cm in height, blooming continually for several weeks.

Some prairie species that are rarely cultivated, such as Anemone cylindrica, grow well in drier warmer conditions and poor soil.

Various strategies, such as the use of protection, can be tried to plant them outdoors in fall in zone 6 but results may vary.

[19] These origin stories reflect the classical dual meanings of the arrival of spring breezes and the death of a loved one.