Thalictrum

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Thalictrum

Thalictrum flavum

Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Magnoliophyta
Class:	Magnoliopsida
Order:	Ranunculales
Family:	Ranunculaceae
Genus:	Thalictrum Tourn. ex L.

Species

See text.

Thalictrum is a genus of 120-200 species of flowering plants in the family Ranunculaceae.^[1] Thalictrum is a taxonomically difficult genus with poorly understood species boundaries; it is in need of further taxonomic and field research for clarification. The common name is meadow-rue. They are not related to the rues (family Rutaceae).

They are perennial herbaceous plants, growing to 0.5-2.5 m tall depending on the species.

1 Habitat
2 Leaves and flowers
3 Food plants
4 Selected species
5 External links
6 References

[edit] Habitat

They are usually found in shaded or damp locations, with a sub-cosmopolitan range throughout most of the Northern Hemisphere and also south to southern Africa and tropical South America, but absent from Australasia. It is most common in temperate regions of the world, twenty-two species are found in North America.

[edit] Leaves and flowers

The leaves are alternate, bipinnately compound, commonly glaucous blue-green in colour.

The flowers are small and apetalous (no petals), but have numerous long stamens, often brightly white, yellow, pink or pale purple, and are produced in conspicuous dense inflorescences. In some species (e.g. T. chelidonii, T. tuberosum), the sepals are large, brightly coloured and petal-like, but in most they are small and fall when the flower opens or soon after.