Thalictrum pubescens
Thalictrum amphibolum
King-of-the-meadow, late meadow-rue, meadow-weed, muskrat-weed, pigamon pubescent, tall meadow-rue
purple meadow-rue, skunk meadow-rue, wax-leaf meadow-rue
erect, coarse, 50-300 cm.
erect, coarse, 50-150 cm.
blade ternately and pinnately decompound;
leaflets light to dark green, cordate or nearly orbiculate to ovate or obovate, apically undivided to 2-3(-5)-lobed or -toothed, 11-68 × 5-70 mm, length 0.8-2.6 times width, membranous to firm, margins scarcely revolute, lobe margins entire, surfaces abaxially pubescent to glabrous.
blade 1-4x-ternately compound;
leaflets grayish or brownish green or dark to bright green, lanceolate, elliptic, ovate, reniform to obovate, apically undivided or 2-3(-5)-lobed, 9-60 × 5-50 mm, length 0.9-2.7(-5.25) times width, usually leathery, margins often revolute, lobe margins entire;
surfaces abaxially with sessile to stalked glands or muriculate to whitish papillose.
racemes or panicles to corymbs, apically ± rounded, many flowered;
peduncles and pedicels often pubescent.
racemes to panicles, elongate, many flowered;
peduncles and pedicels sometimes stipitate-glandular.
unisexual or bisexual (sometimes bisexual with very few stamens);
sepals 4(-6), white to purplish, elliptic-rounded, 2-3.5 mm;
filaments ascending, white to purplish, filiform to distinctly clavate, 1.5-7 mm, usually rigid;
anthers 0.5-1.5(-2.1) mm, usually blunt or only slightly apiculate.
usually unisexual, staminate and pistillate on different plants;
sepals 4(-6), whitish, ovate to oblanceolate, (2-)3-4 mm;
filaments white, slightly clavate, 2.5-7.8 mm, ± flexible;
anthers (0.7-)1.2-2.7(-3) mm, blunt to apiculate.
numerous, sessile to stipitate;
stipe 0.5-1.5(-2.4) mm;
body ellipsoid, 3-5 mm, prominently veined, usually pubescent;
beak usually persistent, straight or coiled distally, 0.6-2.5 mm, about 1/2 length of achene body.
8-16, sessile or slightly stipitate;
stipe 0.2-1.7 mm;
body lanceolate to ellipsoid, 3.5-5 mm, prominently veined, usually stipitate-glandular;
beak ± persistent, linear-filiform, (1-)1.5-3.3(-5) mm, ± equal to length of achene body.
= 126.
= 140.
Thalictrum pubescens
Thalictrum amphibolum
The ovaries change from white to purplish, becoming light green, then darker green, and finally brown as fruits mature.
Because of the polymorphic nature of Thalictrum pubescens, a proliferation of names for minor morphologic variants has resulted. Field studies (M. Park 1992) have shown that too much morphologic variation occurs within populations to support the recognition of previously described taxa. Plants in New England and northeastern Canada often have a corymbose inflorescence and longer filaments and achene beaks.
This species is often incorrectly treated in floras as T. polygamum Sprengel, an invalid name.
The Iroquois used Thalictrum pubescens medicinally a a wash for head and neck, to stop nosebleeds, and to treat gall (D. E. Moerman 1986).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Glandular individuals of Thalictrum revolutum have been called var. glandulosior. They are seen throughout the range of the species and do not represent a distinct lineage. Occasional glandular plants with unusually short anthers are often misidentified as T. pubescens.
Material of this species from the western United States has been incorrectly assumed by previous authors to be T. dasycarpum, because T. revolutum is not included in floras of that region.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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