Meadow-rues
What are they?
Members of the buttercup family, meadow-rues are a varied bunch of herbaceous plants that are generally recognisable by their large heads of many, small, petalless flowers, often with prominent stamens. The leaves are usually two- to three-pinnate and are made up of many, wedge-shaped leaflets.
Where are they found?
These are plants of unimproved, natural habitats in dry, chalky or sandy areas and in wetlands. The habitat can be a useful clue to species identification.
Identification
As well as differences in habitat choice and in height, the two species can be readily told apart by the very different appearance of their flowers.
Common Meadow-rue Thalictrum flavum
Native. Greatly declined due to drainage of wetlands, but still relatively widespread in species-rich fen communities in the main river valleys, as well as wetland complexes in the Broads and Fenland. Flowers July to August. Plants to 100cm tall; leaves 2- to 3-pinnate, made up of many narrowly wedge-shaped leaflets. Flowers with four whitish tepals at the base, topped with a 'pompom' of whitish stamens.
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Lesser Meadow-rue Thalictrum minus
Native. A plant of dry sandy or chalky places which is still reasonably widespread in Breckland but scattered and scarce elsewhere. Some, such as plants in churchyard sites, may be originally from planted stock. Flowers June to August. Plants generally much smaller than Common Meadow-rue, the 2- to 3-pinnate leaves having more broadly wedge-shaped leaflets. Individual flowers have four tepals, usually tinged purplish and with the long stamens drooping. The spreading flower heads are made up of many small flowers and they can be hard to spot from a distance among dense grasses.
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Great Meadow-rue Thalictrum aquilegiifolium
Native throughout much of Europe and temperate Asia and introduced to the UK as a garden ornamental. A few records from south of Cambridge. Flowers July to August. Plants to 120cm in height with either white or lilac flowers. Differs from other species by the stamen filaments widening towards the tips and becoming at least as wide as the anthers (not narrower).
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Delavay's Meadow-rue Thalictrum delavayi
Introduced from China as a garden ornamental and formerly naturalised in Cambridgeshire. A few records from south of Cambridge. Flowers June to August. Differs from our native meadow-rues in having flowers with four, broad, petal-like sepals which may be lilac, pink or white.
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Hybrid Plume-poppy Macleaya x kewensis
A hybrid of horticultural origin between two Asian species grown as ornamentals. May be seen in amenity plantings and has been recorded as a garden escape from Ely. Flowers June to August. Grows to around 2.5m in height and is a highly distinctive plant with its blue-green, deeply lobed leaves and peculiar, frothy heads of petalless flowers. Even the sepals - of which there are only two per flower - drop as soon as the stamens are mature, leaving just a dangly cluster of pale anthers.
Note: This unusual plant is actually a member of the Poppy Family, but is placed on this page as its flowers most closely resemble those of the meadow-rues.
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