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early meadow-rue, pigamon dioïque, quicksilver-weed

alpine meadow-rue, arctic meadow-rue, dwarf meadow-rue, pigamon alpin

Roots

yellow to light brown, fibrous, from stout caudex.

Stems

erect, 30-80 cm, glabrous or glandular.

erect, scapose, or nearly scapose with very slender rhizomes, (3-)5-20(-30) cm, glabrous.

Leaves

blade 1-4x-ternately compound;

leaflets reniform or cordate to obovate or orbiculate, apically 3-12-lobed, 10-45 mm wide, lobe margins often crenate, surfaces abaxially glabrous or glandular.

blade 2x-pinnately compound, proximal primary divisions ternate;

leaflets cuneate-obovate to orbiculate, apically 3-5-lobed, 2-10 mm, surfaces glabrous.

Inflorescences

terminal and axillary, panicles to corymbs, many flowered.

racemes, usually elongate, few flowered.

Flowers

sepals greenish to purple, ovate or obovate to oval, 1.8-4 mm;

filaments yellow to greenish yellow, 3.5-5.5 mm;

anthers 2-4 mm, mucronate to acuminate;

stigma purple.

pedicels recurved in fruit;

sepals early deciduous, purplish tinged, ovate or elliptic, 1-2.3(-2.7) mm;

stamens 8-15;

filaments purple;

anthers bright yellow, 1.5-3 mm;

stigmas purple.

Achenes

(3-)7–13, not reflexed, sessile or nearly so;

stipe terete, 0-0.2 mm;

body ovoid to ellipsoid, not laterally compressed, 3.5-5 mm, glabrous, very strongly veined, veins not anastomosing-reticulate;

beak 1.5-3 mm.

2-6, nearly sessile;

body lance-obovoid, 2-3.5 mm, with thick veins.

2n

= 14, 21.

Thalictrum dioicum

Thalictrum alpinum

Phenology Flowering spring (Apr–Jun). Flowering late spring–summer (Jun–Aug).
Habitat Rocky woods, ravines, and alluvial terraces, mountains and piedmont Wet meadows, damp rocky ledges and slopes, and cold (often calcareous) bogs in willow-sedge, lodgepole pine, and spruce-fir
Elevation 10-1000 m (0-3300 ft) 0-3800 m (0-12500 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; CT; DC; GA; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; NC; ND; NE; NH; NJ; NY; OH; PA; RI; SC; SD; TN; VA; VT; WI; WV; MB; ON; QC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; CA; CO; ID; MT; NM; NV; OR; UT; WY; BC; NF; NT; QC; YT; Greenland; n Eurasia
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Glandular plants of Thalictrum dioicum have often been misidentified as T. revolutum despite important differences, especially the leaflets having crenate versus entire lobe margins, respectively. The stamens in both T. dioicum and T. revolutum are pendulous.

Native Americans used roots of Thalictrum dioicum in various preparations to treat diarrhea and vomiting and for heart palpitations (D. E. Moerman 1986).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 3. FNA vol. 3.
Parent taxa Ranunculaceae > Thalictrum > sect. Heterogamia Ranunculaceae > Thalictrum > sect. Thalictrum
Sibling taxa
T. alpinum, T. amphibolum, T. arkansanum, T. clavatum, T. confine, T. cooleyi, T. coriaceum, T. dasycarpum, T. debile, T. fendleri, T. heliophilum, T. macrostylum, T. minus, T. mirabile, T. occidentale, T. polycarpum, T. pubescens, T. sparsiflorum, T. texanum, T. thalictroides, T. venulosum
T. amphibolum, T. arkansanum, T. clavatum, T. confine, T. cooleyi, T. coriaceum, T. dasycarpum, T. debile, T. dioicum, T. fendleri, T. heliophilum, T. macrostylum, T. minus, T. mirabile, T. occidentale, T. polycarpum, T. pubescens, T. sparsiflorum, T. texanum, T. thalictroides, T. venulosum
Synonyms T. alpinum var. hebetum
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 545. (1753) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 545. (1753)
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