Thalictrum

Scientific name

Thalictrum L.

Common names

meadowrue

Family

Ranunculaceae

Native distribution

temperate temperate:
(adj) of the climatic zone between boreal and tropical
North America, Eurasia, Africa

Species cultivated

(seven species plus cultivated varieties)

Thalictum alpinum L.

T. dasycarpum Fisch., C.A.Mey. & Avé-Lall.

T. delavayi Franch.

T. dioicum L.

T. flavum L.

T. polycarpum (Torr.) S. Watson

T. pubescens Pursh

Adventive distribution

information not available

Weed status

not weedy

Habit

amphibious, creeping to ascending herb

Brief description

Usually erect, but shade-grown plants lax to sprawling. Rhizomatousrhizomatous:
(adj) possessing rhizomes
; stem slender, glabrousglabrous:
(adj) without hairs or scales
. Leaves basalbasal:
(adj) at or pertaining to the base, or point of attachment
and caulinecauline:
(adj) pertaining to or belonging to the stem
, alternatealternate:
(adj) (of leaves) bearing one leaf per node; placed singly on the stem at different heights
; petiolatepetiolate:
(adj) relating to or in the form of a petiole; bearing petioles
, becoming sessilesessile:
(adj) attached directly, without a stalk
toward stem apexapex:
(n) the point farthest from the point of attachment; the tip (often pointed)
; leaf bladeblade:
(n) (syn. lamina) the flat, expanded part of a leaf, frond, or petal (excluding, e.g., the petiole)
1-4-pinnate, glabrousglabrous:
(adj) without hairs or scales
. Leaflets stalked; leafletleaflet:
(n) one of the leaf-like units of a compound leaf
bladeblade:
(n) (syn. lamina) the flat, expanded part of a leaf, frond, or petal (excluding, e.g., the petiole)
lanceolate, ellipticelliptic:
(adj) in the form of an ellipse (oval)
to oblongoblong:
(adj) two to four times longer than wide, with +/- parallel sides
; apexapex:
(n) the point farthest from the point of attachment; the tip (often pointed)
obtuse to acuteacute:
(adj) tapering to a sharp, pointed apex with more or less straight sides; broader than acuminate; forming an angle of less than 90 degrees
; base round to ± attenuateattenuate:
(adj) narrowing gradually to a point
; marginmargin:
(n) edge; rim
revolute, entireentire:
(adj) having a continuous margin that is not toothed or lobed
to lobedlobed:
(adj) divided into (usually rounded) segments
. Inflorescenceinflorescence:
(n) the arrangement of flowers on the floral axis
an axillaryaxillary:
(adj) in, of, or produced from an axil
or terminalterminal:
(adj) at the apex
few-flowered racemeraceme:
(n) an indeterminate, unbranched inflorescence having pedicelled flowers on a usually elongated axis (may be cymose)
or paniclepanicle:
(n) an indeterminate, branched (often much-branched) inflorescence; the ultimate units may be of a different inflorescence type
; pedunculatepedunculate:
(adj) borne on or possessing a peduncle
; dioeciousdioecious:
(adj) having separate male and female flowers on different individuals of the same species
; pedicellatepedicellate:
(adj) borne on a pedicel
. Male flowers: sepals 4-5, obovateobovate:
(adj) ovate, with the narrow end at the base
, pale yellow to white; petals absent; stamens numerous, filaments flat or thread-like. Female flowers: sepals 4-5, obovateobovate:
(adj) ovate, with the narrow end at the base
, greenish; petals absent; pistils 1-22.

Natural habitat

moist to wet areas, wetlands, bogs, wet savannas; also along disturbed sites such as roadsides and powerlines

Additional comments

Thalictrum contains over 150 species, most of which are terrestrialterrestrial:
(adj) growing on land as opposed to living in water
, though some are wetland species. These are cultivated as garden ornamentals or marginal pond plants.