Flora of North America species comparison

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Thalictrum fendleri

Fendler's meadow-rue
Roots

dark brown to ± black (when dry), fibrous.
Stems

mostly erect, sometimes reclining, (20-)30-60(-150) cm, glabrous, from rhizomes or branched caudices.
Leaves

blade green, (2-)3-4x-ternately compound, membranous;

leaflets obliquely orbiculate or nearly cordate, apically 3-lobed, (5-)10-20 × (6-)8-12(-18) mm wide, lobe margins crenate, surfaces abaxially often glandular.
Inflorescences

terminal and axillary, panicles, open and leafy, many flowered.
Flowers

sepals whitish or greenish, in staminate flowers ovate to elliptic, 3-5 mm; in pistillate flowers ovate to rhombic or broadly lanceolate, 1.5-2 mm;

filaments deep yellow or purplish, 4-7.5 mm;

anthers 2.2-3.4 mm, apiculate with tip to 0.8 mm;

stigma purplish.
Achenes

7-11(-14), not reflexed, sessile to short-stipitate;

stipe 0-2 mm;

body oblanceolate to obliquely obovate-elliptic, strongly laterally compressed, (5-)9(-11) mm, glandular or glabrous, 3-4(-5)-veined on each side, veins ± parallel, converging toward ends (rarely branched or sinuous), not anastomosing-reticulate;

beak 1.5-4 mm.

Thalictrum fendleri
Phenology Flowering early-mid summer (Jun–Aug).
Habitat Willow, birch, mountain brush, sagebrush-snowberry, boxelder-cottonwood, alder, ponderosa pine, lodgepole pine, aspen-tall forb, and spruce-fir communities
Elevation 1100-3300 m (3600-10800 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CA; CO; ID; MT; NM; NV; OR; SD; TX; UT; WY; n Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

The stems and achenes of Thalictrum fendleri are often purplish.

Decoctions prepared from the roots of Thalictrum fendleri were used medicinally by Native Americans to cure colds and gonorrhea, and in ceremonies (D. E. Moerman 1986).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 3.
Parent taxa Ranunculaceae > Thalictrum > sect. Heterogamia
Sibling taxa
T. alpinum, T. amphibolum, T. arkansanum, T. clavatum, T. confine, T. cooleyi, T. coriaceum, T. dasycarpum, T. debile, T. dioicum, T. heliophilum, T. macrostylum, T. minus, T. mirabile, T. occidentale, T. polycarpum, T. pubescens, T. sparsiflorum, T. texanum, T. thalictroides, T. venulosum
Synonyms T. fendleri var. platycarpum, T. fendleri var. wrightii
Name authority Engelmann ex A. Gray: Mem. Amer. Acad. Arts, ser. 2, 4: 5. (1849)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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