Family: buttercups (Ranunculaceae)
Bloom time: March–April
Size: 5–15 cm
Habitat: sunny forests, rocky slopes and among shrubs
Flowers of hepatica (Hepatica nobilis) with 7–9 blue petals, numerous white stamens and green ovaries, open early in spring. After flowering, young leaves develop, which are three-lobed and purple on the underside. Long-petioled leaves overwinter. The plant is poisonous, though it has sometimes been used to treat liver diseases. It is a common plant of our deciduous forests, except in Pomurje where it is not found.
