Rue Anemone

Photo of rue anemone plant with flowers
Scientific Name
Thalictrum thalictroides
Family
Ranunculaceae (crowfoots, buttercups)
Description

Rue anemone is an early-flowering, delicate plant, usually growing singly. Flowers in small umbels (round clusters, with flower stalks arising from the same point) subtended by a whorl of nearly round, stalkless leaf bracts. Flowers variable, with 5–10 sepals that range from white to magenta-pink; sepals may be pointed or rounded. Stamens many, yellowish-green. Blooms March–June. Leaves basal on erect stems,3-lobed, much like the bracts. The basal leaves appear after flowering has begun.

Similar species: This flower is often confused with false rue anemone, Isopyrum biternatum. That species, however, has complete leaves on the flowering stems (not simply bracts); usually has only 5 sepals, which are always white (not pinkish); is usually found in colonies (not singly); and prefers moist bottomlands to wooded slopes.

Size
Height: to 9 inches, but usually much shorter.
Where To Find
image of Rue Anemone distribution map
Statewide, except northwestern Missouri and the southeast lowlands.
Occurs most commonly on open wooded slopes and ridges and is normally absent from bottomlands. This is possibly the longest-flowering species of early spring; it can bloom well into June.
Many older references call this species Anemonella thalictroides, but molecular evidence has now convinced most botanists that the plant belongs in the genus Thalictrum. Sometimes the common name is spelled with a hyphen ("rue-anemone") because some botanists use the hyphen to indicate that this is not technically a true "anemone" in the genus Anemone.
Rue anemone and false rue anemone present a bit of difficulty for the budding naturalist, but meeting the challenge of learning how to identify the two similar plants helps us understand botany, and our world, better.
This and other woodland flowers require a forest habitat to survive, so they depend on the oaks, hickories, maples, and other trees that surround them.
Media Gallery
Photo of rue anemone plant with flowers
To distinguish rue anemone from the similar-looking false rue anemone, look for the following: more than just 5 sepals, which can be pinkish, and only bracts (not complete leaves) on the flowering stems. Confirm your identification by noting that it's growing singly (not in a colony) and is located on a wooded slope.
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Rue anemone in Franklin County
Submitted by Scott Ragan
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Photo of rue anemone plant with flowers
Rue anemone in Franklin County
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!