Meadow anemone (Anemone canadensis), a perennial in the buttercup family, prefers moist soil, colonizing along rivers and low, moist meadows. White, five-petaled flowers with yellow centers dance above bright green foliage in spring. The leaves are deeply cleft into five toothy lobes; leaves on the flowering stems, in opposite pairs, appear to encircle the stem. This rhizomatous perennial grows from 1 to 2 feet tall, and the flowers, which reach up to 2 inches across, bloom in upward-facing clusters.