Description
Each region (maakunta) in Finland has a flower or a plant chosen to represent it. This symbolizes the regional flora and the nature of the region.
The spring pasqueflower (Kangasvuokko) is the provincial plant of South Karelia, growing on the barren, sandy pine ridges of the Salpausselkä eskers. It is protected under the Nature Conservation Act, making it strictly illegal to collect or move the plant (or its seeds). The species is classified as vulnerable in Finland, having declined due to habitat loss and over-collecting. Attempting to transplant it into a private garden will fail, as the plant cannot survive the relocation.
The spring pasqueflower is low-growing, reaching 6–20 cm in height, and blooms early between April and June. Its evergreen leaves form a rosette from which the leafless flower stalks emerge. The large, single flowers are approximately 6 cm wide, with a whorl of involucre leaves just below the bloom. The tepals are white on the inside, while the outer surface is often tinged with violet and covered in brown hairs. The flower stalk features pale, soft hairs and can grow up to 30 cm long after flowering. The species hybridizes easily with the eastern pasqueflower (Hämeenkylmänkukka), resulting in hybrids with highly variable traits inherited from either parent plant.
