Thalictrum pubescens
Thalictrum occidentale
King-of-the-meadow, late meadow-rue, meadow-weed, muskrat-weed, pigamon pubescent, tall meadow-rue
western meadow-rue
yellow to medium brown or black, thin, fibrous.
erect, coarse, 50-300 cm.
erect, 30-100(-120) dm, glabrous, often from well-developed rhizomes.
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 3-4x-ternately compound;
leaflets orbiculate to obovate-cuneate or cordate, apically 3-lobed, 10-30 mm wide, lobe margins coarsely crenate, surfaces glabrous to glandular.
racemes or panicles to corymbs, apically ± rounded, many flowered;
peduncles and pedicels often pubescent.
terminal (some flowers in axils of distal leaves), panicles, rather open, many flowered.
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.
sepals whitish or greenish or purplish tinged, ovate, 3.5-4.4 mm in staminate flowers, 1.5-2 mm in pistillate flowers;
filaments purplish, 4-10 mm;
anthers 1.5-4 mm, long-apiculate;
stigma often purplish.
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.
6-9, spreading to reflexed, short-stipitate;
stipe 0.4-1.2 mm;
body fusiform, not laterally compressed, (4-)6-9(-10) mm, tapering at both ends, glandular, strongly 3-veined on each side, veins not anastomosing;
beak 3-4.5(-6) mm.
= 126.
Thalictrum pubescens
Thalictrum occidentale
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.)
Thalictrum occidentale is similar to T. confine and T. venulosum; thorough field studies are needed to determine whether or not they should be maintained as separate species. Thalictrum occidentale can usually be distinguished by its reflexed achenes.
Plants of northern British Columbia, sometimes called Thalictrum occidentale var. breitungii (B. Boivin) Brayshaw, appear to be intermediate between T. occidentale and T. venulosum (T. C. Brayshaw, pers. comm.); achenes are ascending, ± compressed, and beaks rather short (2-4 mm) (T. C. Brayshaw 1989).
Some of the Native Americans used Thalictrum occidentale medicinally for headaches, eye trouble, and sore legs, to loosen phlem, and to improve blood circulation (D. E. Moerman 1986).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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