[5][6] Bisexual flowers with pink, purple, blue, or white sepals and three green bracts appear singly on hairy stems from late winter to spring.

As of January 2021[update], Kew's Plants of the World Online (POWO) accepts 7 species and one hybrid in the genus Hepatica:[1] One infraspecific taxon is also recognized by POWO:[9] Hepatica can be divided into two series with respect to leaf edge: The leaves of the series Triloba Ulbr.

The word hepatica derives from the Greek ἡπατικός hēpatikós, from ἧπαρ hêpar 'liver', because its three-lobed leaf was thought to resemble the human liver.

[1] Hepatica cultivation has been popular in Japan since the 18th century (mid-Edo period), where flowers with doubled petals and a range of colour patterns have been developed.

[26] Noted for its tolerance of alkaline limestone-derived soils, Hepatica may grow in a wide range of conditions; it can be found either in deeply shaded deciduous (especially beech) woodland and scrub or grassland in full sun.