Thalictrum polycarpum
Thalictrum texanum
many fruit meadowrue, tall western meadow-rue
Houston meadow-rue
fibrous.
becoming black when dry, tuberous, not ribbed, irregular.
erect, 6-18(-20) dm, glabrous.
erect, 10-45 cm, rigid, glabrous.
blade 3-4x-ternately compound;
leaflets orbiculate to obovate, apically 3-cleft or 3-parted, divisions undivided or shallowly 3-lobed, 15-40 mm wide, lobes rounded or somewhat acute, surfaces glabrous or glandular.
blade 2x-ternately compound;
leaflets cuneate to reniform, undivided, cleft, or lobed, 2-7 mm wide, margins entire or sometimes weakly crenate, surfaces glabrous, somewhat glaucous.
terminal, panicles, many flowered.
terminal, racemes, several flowered.
sepals whitish to purplish, elliptic to ovate or lanceolate, 2-4(-5) mm;
filaments whitish to pinkish, 3-6 mm;
anthers (1.4-)2-4 mm, distinctly apiculate.
sepals lanceolate to obovate, in staminate flowers 1.7-3 mm, in pistillate flowers 0.7-1.5 mm;
filaments colored, not white, ca. 1.5 mm;
anthers 1.4-2 mm;
stigma color unknown.
10-15, spreading in globose heads, not reflexed, sessile or nearly so;
stipe 0-0.6 mm;
body nearly globose to obovoid to obliquely obovate, laterally compressed, somewhat inflated and papery, 4-7(-8) mm, glabrous to glandular, often with 1 or 2 primary veins on each side, veins sinuous, branched, anastomosing-reticulate;
beak 2-4 mm.
few, not reflexed, nearly sessile;
stipe 0.1-0.3 mm;
body ovoid, not laterally compressed, adaxial surface 2.7-3.7 × 1.4-1.6 mm, glabrous, prominently 6-8-veined, veins not anastomosing-reticulate;
beak 0.5-1 mm.
Thalictrum polycarpum
Thalictrum texanum
Thalictrum polycarpum is the only species in sect. Heterogamia with anastomosing-reticulate veins on the achene.
The stems and roots of Thalictrum polycarpum are considered poisonous when ingested by humans or cattle; Native Americans used this species medicinally as a wash for headaches, as an applications for sprains, and as a universal charm and panacea (D. E. Moerman 1986).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Of conservation concern.
Somewhat difficult to locate in the field, Thalictrum texanum is currently known from only two populations. It is closely related to T. arkansanum and T. debile and sometimes treated as a variety of the latter.
Thalictrum confine is quite similar to T. occidentale and T. venulosum; it has been treated as a variety or synonym of the latter (R. S. Mitchell 1988).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
CA
OR
Flora NW
PNW Herbaria
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
