# Western Meadow-rue (*Thalictrum occidentale*)

Western Meadow-rue is a lovely plant with delicate, feathery leaves and pretty flowers. It grows in wet meadows and can be found in some forests, adding beauty to nature's garden.

- **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low
- **Habitat:** Wet meadows

![Western Meadow-rue](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Thalictrum_occidentale_5003.JPG&width=800)

Photo: Walter Siegmund (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Thalictrum_occidentale_5003.JPG)

## Appearance

The Western Meadow-rue has delicate, fern-like leaves with many small leaflets, giving it an airy appearance. Its tiny flowers, often purplish, greenish-white, or yellowish, hang loosely and lack showy petals, instead displaying long, dangling stamens.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Plantae
- **Phylum:** Tracheophyta
- **Class:** Magnoliopsida
- **Order:** Ranunculales
- **Family:** Ranunculaceae
- **Genus:** Thalictrum

## Interesting facts

- Despite its name, it prefers moist woods and shady spots, not always meadows!
- Its delicate flowers don't have petals, just showy stamens or pistils!
- Some people call it 'feathered columbine' because of its similar leaf shape.
- The leaves are so intricate, they look like miniature emerald lace!

## Special abilities

- **Wind Whispers:** Western Meadow-rue's dangling stamens release pollen into the wind, letting the breeze carry its reproductive hopes far and wide.
- **Feathered Foliage:** It has intricately divided, fern-like leaves that help it capture diffuse light in shady forest understories.
- **Hidden Spread:** Western Meadow-rue grows from underground rhizomes, allowing it to slowly expand its colony year after year.
- **Separate Sexes:** This plant has separate male and female individuals, needing two different plants for successful seed production.

## Measurements & details

- **Height:** 30-120 cm
- **Spread:** 20-40 cm
- **Flower Size:** 0.5-1.5 cm
- **Bloom Season:** Spring to early summer
- **Edible:** No
- **Toxicity:** None
- **Lifecycle:** Perennial
- **Pollination Method:** Wind

## Ecological connections

- **Eats:** Wandering Tussock Moth (*Dasychira vagans*) — Larvae munch on its leaves
- **Eats:** Meadow-rue Aphid (*Uroleucon thalictri*) — Aphids suck sap from stems
- **Eats:** [Common Checkered-Skipper](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-checkered-skipper) (*Pyrgus communis*) — Caterpillars feed on foliage

## Traits

- [Deciduous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/deciduous): Deciduous plants periodically shed all their leaves, typically during autumn or dry seasons.
- [Flowering](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/flowering): Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle.
- [Ornamental](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/ornamental): Ornamental plants are cultivated primarily for their aesthetic appeal, enhancing landscapes and gardens with their attractive foliage, flowers, or form.
- [Medicinal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/medicinal): Medicinal plants possess chemical compounds that can be used for therapeutic purposes to treat illnesses or maintain health.
- [Pollinator Magnet](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator-magnet): Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms.
- [Forest](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/forest): Forest habitats are terrestrial environments dominated by dense tree cover, supporting a high diversity of plant and animal life.
- [Wetland](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/wetland): This habitat trait identifies species found in wetlands, which are areas of land saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally, including marshes, swamps, and bogs.

## Collections

- [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants)

## Safety

**Danger:** 1/5 · Very low

Always look but don't touch plants unless you know they are safe.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Western Meadow-rue?

Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How tall is Western Meadow-rue?

30-120 cm

### How wide does Western Meadow-rue spread?

20-40 cm

### How big are the flowers on Western Meadow-rue?

0.5-1.5 cm

### When does Western Meadow-rue bloom?

Spring to early summer

### Is Western Meadow-rue edible?

No

### Is Western Meadow-rue toxic?

None

### What is Western Meadow-rue's lifecycle?

Perennial

## Where to spot

- [Otter Lake Provincial Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/otter-lake-provincial-park) — British Columbia, CA · State Park

## More Plants

- [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*)
- [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*)
- [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*)
- [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*)

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Source: [Western Meadow-rue: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-meadow-rue)