Thalictrum Species, Early Meadow-Rue, Early, Dioecious Meadow Rue, Quicksilver Weed

Plant is growing in my yard 20 feet from a river. Looks like a columbine in early spring then it sends up a strong tall (compared to a co...Read Morelumbine) flower stem. Flowers are nothing special but the foliage looks similar to a maidenhair fern. Pretty in a natural garden. I read that the leaves stay through fall, unfortunately mine gets mowed down by then. Appears to reseed itself so it spreads faster than maidenhair ferns. I'm going to move it to a safer spot.

Early meadowrue is a plant that is rarely seen in the plant market, even native nurseries. This is a small plant, for me rarely growing ...Read Moreabove two feet tall. This is one of the few medium size range native Eastern US Thalictrum, the other one more of a prairie speces that I have never tried called Veiny meadowrue. Early Meadowrue prefers woodland, moist soil and loves shade. It thrive in a shade garden and seem to tolerate a wide range of conditons. It is a excellent cover for where most of the emergent early spring native plants is finished, as it last all year round, with its nice delicate columbine - like foliage. I often deadhead it, as it tend to leaves a lot of seedlings. I collected some plants from the wild and I think male and female is separated on different plants as some plants develop seed pods and others doesn't, as a plant that I gave to my grandma never had so far have seedlings. When the plant is fertile, the seedpods are "spiky", not sharp, but more like a multiray star. The flowers are greenish yellow and is not much of a value. The foliage are much more valuable! It may be a good company for Hostas.

This species is a common wildflower along damp to wet areas of Newfoundland. They grow in bogs, fens, streamsides, pond margins. Foliag...Read Moree is attractive and similar to columbines. The plants are dioecious, the males being the prettier with large fluffy clusters of pale yellow stamens. Could be used as a shallow aqautic; if grown in submerged pots, they would be easily contained.