HEPATICA

also called liverleaf (genus Hepatica) any of about 10 species of small herbaceous plants of the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae) that grow in shady wooded areas of the North Temperate Zone. The plants are stemless, low perennials with three-lobed leaves that remain green over winter. The flowers are purplish, lavender, blue, pink, or white and bloom early in the spring before new leaves appear on the plant. The plants were once believed to have therapeutic value in the treatment of liver diseases. The common hepatica of eastern North America is H. americana, with silky hairy leaves and flowers. H. nobilis, a poisonous species common in much of Europe and North America, is sometimes used in herb medicines for the treatment of respiratory diseases.