As noted "hysteranthous" means having the flowers appear before the leaves. BUT interestingly enough, the OED says, "[e]tymologically the word should mean the reverse of this; the correct term would be "hysterophyllous". Carlo A. Balistrieri, Executive Director The Gardens at Turtle Point Tuxedo Park, NY 845.351.2849 Zone 6 visit: http://www.botanicalgardening.com/ and its BGBlog coming soon: Carlo Balistrieri Photography