Thalictrum dioicum L.
Early meadow rue, quicksilver-weed, early Meadow-rue, early meadowrue
Early meadow rue is native to North America.
Plants: 12–31″ (30–80 cm) tall and around. Stems are pale green or purplish green, smooth, and glaucous.
Leaves: Alternate, blue-green, rounded, with three lobes at the far end. The leaves are compound, to say the least. Each compound leaf, which may be up to 1′ (30 cm) in size, has two or three branchlets, and each of those in turn is also a compound leaf, technically odd pinnate, comprised of 3 to 5 leaflets.The individual leaflets are up to 1¾″ (4.4 cm) long, and tipped with 3-9 rounded or somewhat pointed lobes.
Flowers: In large loosely spaced panicles. Male and female flowers occur on separate plants. Both sexes lack petals. Male flowers are ¼″ around ⨉ ½″ long (6.3 mm ⨉ 1.3 cm), with 4-5 pale green sepals and 10 or more stamens with long yellow anthers. Female flowers have similar-appearing sepals, and up to 15 pistils with gray, flattish styles. Flowers appear from April to May.
Fruits: Female flowers become ellipsoid achenes. Each achene has prominent ribs and pointed ends.
Habitats: River or stream floodplains, forests, and river or lake shores.
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Similar species. |
Online References:
5/5/2023 · Morse Mountain, Phippsburg, Maine 
4/15/1979 · Memphis, Tennessee · By Tim Chandler 
9/14/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts · ≈ 18 × 12″ (46 × 30 cm) 
8/24/2023 · Morse Mountain, Phippsburg, Maine · ≈ 10 × 6″ (24 × 16 cm) 
6/8/2012 · Squannacook River Wildlife Area, Townsend, Massachusetts · ≈ 8 × 7″ (19 × 18 cm) 
8/24/2023 · Morse Mountain, Phippsburg, Maine · ≈ 10 × 6″ (24 × 16 cm) 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Magnoliopsida | Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves |
| Subclass | Magnoliidae | Includes magnolias, nutmeg, bay laurel, cinnamon, avocado, black pepper, and many others |
| Order | Ranunculales | Basal (evolved earlier) eudicots, also called “true dicots” |
| Family | Ranunculaceae | Buttercup family |
| Genus | Thalictrum | From Greek qaliktron (thaliktron), a “plant with divided leaves” |
| Species | dioicum | Plants are dioecious (male and female flowers are on separate plants) |
Thalictrum dioicum description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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