Thalictrum thalictroides (Rue Anemone)
Also known as: | Meadowrue |
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Genus: | Thalictrum |
Family: | Ranunculaceae (Buttercup) |
Life cycle: | perennial |
Origin: | native |
Habitat: | part shade, shade; woods |
Bloom season: | April - June |
Plant height: | 4 to 8 inches |
Wetland Indicator Status: | GP: FAC MW: FACU NCNE: FACU |
MN county distribution (click map to enlarge): | |
National distribution (click map to enlarge): |
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Detailed Information
Flower:
1 to 6 stalked flowers in a whorl at the top of the stem. Flowers are ½ to 1 inch across with 5 to 10 petal-like sepals that are rounded or notched at the tip. Surrounding the green center are numerous yellow-tipped stamens. Flower color is pink or white and sometimes double flowers develop.
Leaves:
Basal leaves are long stalked, twice compound with 3 groups of 3 leaflets. Leaflets are hairless, have 3 or more shallow rounded lobes or notches at the tip end, are about 1 inch long and have a stalk up to about 1 inch long. An opposite pair of once compound leaves is at the base of the flower stalks but often the leaf stalk (not the leaflet stalk) is absent so they appear as a whorl of about 6 stalked leaves surrounding the flowers. Stems are multiple from the base, hairless, erect, and unbranched.
Fruit:
Fruits are oval, about ¼ inch long and are ribbed.
Notes:
The flowers of Rue Anemone, Wood Anemone and Canada Anemone are all similar and they may all be in bloom around the same time, but the leaves are distinctly different enough to avoid confusing them, and Wood Anemone and Canada Anemone both more consistently have 5-parted flowers. Canada Anemone is also a much taller plant and blooms into the summer.
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More photos
- Rue Anemone plant
- a cluster of Rue Anemone plants
- flower with 10 sepals
- white flowered Rue Anemone
- white flowered Rue Anemone
Photos by K. Chayka taken at Battle Creek Regional Park, Ramsey County, and Wild River State Park, Chisago County. Other photos courtesy Peter M. Dziuk
Comments
Have you seen this plant in Minnesota, or have any other comments about it?
on: 2010-04-11 16:10:26
Found at a park in Minnetonka near Minnetonka Blvd/Hopkins Crossroads on April 11.
on: 2010-04-15 17:22:37
I found a couple of clumps in my wooded backyard in Rochester. I thought it was a snow drop at first, but a friend directed me to this site after a posted my picture on Facebook.
on: 2010-04-18 21:52:02
Found loads of these in both pink and white at Crystal Lake park and Murphy Hanrehan park in Prior Lake on April 18.
on: 2010-10-02 16:19:12
very butfull up close
on: 2011-05-11 21:01:59
We have several of these growing in our backyard. We live on the noth side of a hill.
on: 2011-05-13 14:52:52
Found near Willow Lake. Also found Carex pensylvanica blooming nearby.
on: 2011-07-15 13:41:01
There are large colonies of these in the woods across the road from our home in South St Paul. I also rescued some from a construction site a few years ago and transplanted them to my shady garden, where they've really taken off nicely. They're one of my favorite spring wildflowers.
on: 2013-05-18 23:41:08
Found a small patch on a sloped woodland in front of our house today. Finally, some color in the Springtime.
on: 2016-05-23 19:14:46
Saw this in the woods at Lebanon Hills Regional Park on May 21, blooming alongside the wild geraniums and columbine.
on: 2017-04-19 16:10:10
Sprinkled about, usually in places where the deer have not been eating everything.
on: 2017-04-21 15:22:16
Found a whole bunch of these blooming in the woods.
on: 2019-04-26 11:18:52
I found a dark purple Rue Anemone while walking in woods, April 25th, 2019. Wood Anemone were also plentiful in this area.
on: 2020-05-04 07:14:41
Saw these beautiful flowers yesterday while walking the trails in the park. Used PlantNet app to figure out what they were, and came here to get information on the flowers. Pink variety at Sunfish Lake Park.
on: 2020-05-12 22:16:59
These were blooming at William O'Brien State Park on Monday, May 11, 2020.
on: 2021-05-08 20:28:50
Observed along the river trail.
on: 2022-04-16 13:13:03
A pale pink form of this grows beging my house in a small colony. They aren't in bloom yet, but I'm very excited to see them again this year. This has to be my favorite little flower in the woods. It's absolutely adorable, and I love how delicate the little flowers are.
on: 2023-04-30 14:28:20
These were blooming on April 30, 2023 at Murphy Hanrehan nature preserve between marker 1 and 2, a little ways off the trail. Very light purple, and at least one of them had 8 sepals.
on: 2023-05-21 20:55:18
The Minnesota Valley Rest Area on US 169 north of Le Sueur has a large population of this species. They grow in woods near the edge of a drop-off in the southeast part of the rest area. They are in bloom now (May 21, 2023). The population contains both white- and pink-flowered versions.
on: 2023-05-26 05:03:08
Found in a low lying backyard that falls off into a swamp. Blooming in early to mid may.