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Plants of the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden

Common
Name

Scientific
Name

Plant
Family

Garden
Location

Prime
Season
Tall Meadow Rue
Thalictrum dasycarpum Fisch & Ave-Lall.
Buttercup (Ranunculaceae)
Upland
Early to Late Summer
Other names and notes
(Purple Meadow Rue) Taller than Alum Root which grows nearby in the Upland Garden, and reaching from 3 to 5 feet, the mature stem is a purple color. Leaves: The leaflets are 3 to 5 times 3-parted, mostly 3 lobed, up to 2-1/2 times as long as wide and are alternate on the stem. Leaves are hairy under, with the lower leaves on a stalk and upper stem leaves are stalkless. Flowers: Plants are dioecious. The male flowers are small 4 to 5-parted flowers, white to greenish with stamens that are club shaped. The sepals fall away early, no petals. Male flowers occur in in a showy pyramid shaped inflorescence of branched clusters, branching from the top of the stem. Female flowering plants are much less showy. Seeds are a dry hairy achene. The genus name Thalictrum is from the Greek referring to a plant with divided leaves. The species name is a combination of Latin referring to the hairy seed.
Tall Meadow Rue
Tall Meadowrue
The plant with male flowers is in bloom mid-June to early July.
Tall Meadow Rue
Tall Meadowrue Leaf
Below: Flower buds and leaf buds opening atop the very sturdy stem which is green at this stage, turning purple later. Above and below: The leaf of Tall Meadow Rue is 3 to 5 times 3-parted. Upper leaves, such as these attach directly to the stem, lower leaves have stalks.
Tall Meadow Rue bud Tall Meadow Rue Leaf
 
 
Notes: Tall Meadow Rue was listed on Martha Crone's 1951 inventory of plants in the Garden at that time, and on each later census. This species is native to Minnesota, being found in all but a dozen counties, which exceptions are mostly in the western section of the state. Its' native range in the North American is the entire area except for the eastern coastal states and the southwestern coastal states.  
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References: Plant characteristics are generally from sources 15, 16, 30, 31, 33, W2 & W3. Distribution principally from W2 and also 31, 34 and W1. Planting history generally from 1, 4 & 4a. Other sources by specific reference. See Reference List for details.  
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