False Rue Anemone

Photo of false rue anemone plant and flower
Scientific Name
Enemion biternatum (syn. Isopyrum biternatum)
Family
Ranunculaceae (crowfoots, buttercups)
Description

False rue anemone is a herbaceous spring wildflower, often growing in large colonies, usually in bottomlands.

The flowers arise singly on long stems from leaf axils; there are 5 petal-like sepals, which are white.

Blooms March–May.

Leaves are present at the base of the plant but also on the stems with flowers. The leaves are compound with 2 or 3 sections, these with rounded lobes. The clefts between the leaflet lobes are deeper than the ones on rue anemone.

Similar species: This flower is often confused with (true) rue anemone, Thalictrum thalictroides. That species, however, has only bracts on the flowering stems (not complete leaves); it often has more than 5 sepals, which are sometimes pinkish; it is usually only found singly; and it prefers wooded slopes instead of moist bottomlands.

Size

Height: 5–8 inches.

Where To Find
image of False Rue Anemone distribution map

Statewide, except for the southeast lowlands.

Occurs mainly at bases of wooded slopes or in wooded bottomlands, sometimes in sunny situations. Often found in large colonies.

The moist bottomland habitat is one of the key identifiers for this species, helping to distinguish it from the similar-looking rue anemone, which prefers wooded slopes.

Native Missouri spring bottomland wildflower.

False rue anemone and "true" rue anemone present a bit of difficulty for the budding naturalist, but learning how to identify the two similar plants helps us understand botany, and our world, better.

This plant is a good choice for native plant gardening. Always acquire plants from reputable native plant nurseries; never dig them from natural areas.

Many animals nibble tender green plants in springtime. This and other woodland flowers require a wooded habitat to survive, so they depend on the oaks, hickories, maples, and other trees that surround them.

Taxonomy: Most botanists have been convinced that this North American plant and its relatives are fairly unrelated to the Eurasian genus Isopyrum (where it was formerly placed), so it has been moved to genus Enemion.

Media Gallery
Photo of false rue anemone plant and flower
To distinguish false rue anemone from "true" rue anemone, look for the following: 5 white (not pinkish) sepals, and leaves present on the flowering stems. Confirm your identification by noting that it's growing in a colony (not singly) and is in a moist, low area.
Anonymous
Photo by MDC Staff, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation
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Photo of false rue anemone plant and flower
Similar Species
About Wildflowers, Grasses and Other Nonwoody Plants in Missouri
A very simple way of thinking about the green world is to divide the vascular plants into two groups: woody and nonwoody (or herbaceous). But this is an artificial division; many plant families include some species that are woody and some that are not. The diversity of nonwoody vascular plants is staggering! Think of all the ferns, grasses, sedges, lilies, peas, sunflowers, nightshades, milkweeds, mustards, mints, and mallows — weeds and wildflowers — and many more!