meadow rue

Thalictrum
Thalictrum flavum
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Ranunculales Family: Ranunculaceae Genus: Thalictrum Tourn. ex L.
Species
See text.

Thalictrum is a genus of 120-200 species of flowering plants in the family Ranunculaceae.^[1] Thalictrum is a taxonomically difficult genus with poorly understood species boundaries; it is in need of further taxonomic and field research for clarification. The common name is meadow-rue. They are not related to the rues (family Rutaceae).

They are perennial herbaceous plants, growing to 0.5-2.5 m tall depending on the species.

Habitat

They are usually found in shaded or damp locations, with a sub-cosmopolitan range throughout most of the Northern Hemisphere and also south to southern Africa and tropical South America, but absent from Australasia. It is most common in temperate regions of the world, twenty-two species are found in North America.

Leaves and flowers

The leaves are alternate, bipinnately compound, commonly glaucous blue-green in colour.

The flowers are small and apetalous (no petals), but have numerous long stamens, often brightly white, yellow, pink or pale purple, and are produced in conspicuous dense inflorescences. In some species (e.g. T. chelidonii, T. tuberosum), the sepals are large, brightly coloured and petal-like, but in most they are small and fall when the flower opens or soon after.

Food plants

Thalictrum species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Setaceous Hebrew Character.

Selected species

• Thalictrum alpinum Alpine Meadow-rue
• Thalictrum aquilegifolium Greater Meadow-rue
• Thalictrum calabricum
• Thalictrum chelidonii
• Thalictrum clavatum Mountain Meadow-rue
• Thalictrum cooleyi Cooley's Meadow-rue
• Thalictrum delavayi Chinese Meadow-rue
• Thalictrum diffusiflorum
• Thalictrum dioicum Early Meadow-rue
• Thalictrum dipterocarpum
• Thalictrum fendleri Fendler's Meadow-rue
• Thalictrum flavum Yellow Meadow-rue or Common Meadow-rue
• Thalictrum foeniculaceum
  

  

  Thalictrum glaucum flowers
• Thalictrum foetidum
• Thalictrum glaucum
• Thalictrum ichangense
• Thalictrum javanicum
• Thalictrum kiusianum
• Thalictrum lucidum
• Thalictrum macrostylum Piedmont Meadow-rue or Small-leaved Meadow-rue
• Thalictrum minus Lesser Meadow-rue
• Thalictrum morrisonii
• Thalictrum occidentalis Western Meadow-rue
• Thalictrum orientale
• Thalictrum reniforme
• Thalictrum petaloideum
• Thalictrum polygamum Tall Meadow rue (syn. T. pubescens)
• Thalictrum revolutum Waxyleaf Meadow-rue
• Thalictrum rochebrunianum

Thalictrum flavum leaves

• Thalictrum simplex Small Meadow-rue
• Thalictrum thalictroides Rue-anemone (syn. Anemonella thalictroides)
• Thalictrum tuberosum Meadow-rue

External links

• Thalictrum data base
• Rob's plants - the meadow rues

References

1. ^ Flora of North America: Thalictrum

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