Thalictrum dasycarpum (Tall Meadow Rue) - photos and description
Male flowers in above photo; flowers just beginning to open.
Male flowers in above photo; flowers just beginning to open.
Male flowers in above photo.
Male flowers in above photo.
Female flowers in above photo, flowers just beginning to open.
Leaflets longer than wide.
Leaflets longer than wide.
Leaves hairy underneath.
Leaves hairy underneath.
General: Robust perennial, branching towards the top, with stout stems. Stems angular, often purple-striped, stems sparingly hairy.
Flowers: Flowers unisexual, flowers of different sexes on separate plants. Flowers greenish-white, we measured flowers to 5 mm long. Flowers grow in panicles, male flowers are pendant.
Leaves: Leaves alternate, twice-divided, giving three sets of three leaflets per leaf. Leaflets three-lobed, usually longer than wide. Leaflets puberulent underneath, leaf tops and stems of plants sparingly hairy. The end leaflet highlighted in the photo above was 35 mm long by 30 mm wide.
Height: Height listed in Budd's Flora to 150 cm high, we measured plants to 180 cm tall.
Habitat: Rich, moist woodlands.
Abundance: Common, ranked as an S5 by the Saskatchewan Conservation Data Centre.
Origin: Native.
Similar species: This plant might be confused with
Thalictrum venulosum. To
distinguish between the two:
- Length to width ratio of leaflets. The leaflets of T. dasycarpum
are longer than wide, leaflets of T. venulosum are wider than long.
- Hairiness of bottom of leaflets. The leaflets of T. dasycarpum
are hairy below, leaflets of T. venulosum are almost glabrous.
When and where photographed: Above photos taken June 18th and July 10th, moist forest, Fairy Hill, about 30 km north of our home in Regina, SK.