[Meadowrues: The Genus Thalictrum in the Columbia River
Gorge or Oregon and Washington ]
Western Meadowrue, Western Meadow-rue, Western Meadow Rue
Thalictrum occidentale
Synoyms: Thalictrum breitungii, Thalictrum occidentale var. macounii, Thalictrum occidentale var. megacarpum, Thalictrum occidentale, var. occidentale, Thalictrum occidentale var. palousense
The photo above shows a close-up of the male flower of western
meadowrue with its cluster of dangling stamens. Photographed at meadows immediately
to the north of Hellroaring Creek adjacent to the Island Springs Trail #66 on
Yakama Nation lands at the southeastern corner of Mt. Adams.......July
17, 2005.
The photo at right shows
a close-up of the ovate sepals of a male flower of western meadow rue as seen at MP 31 along the Columbia Gorge Highway to the west of Multnomah Falls........April 20, 2006.
Characteristics:
The meadow rues have long been used ornamentally as decorative
plants in the shade garden. My experience has only been with domesticated varieties
which have fine, lacy and glaucous foliage but spread their seed so prolifically
that they soon take over the garden. I'm not sure how this native species would
behave (hopefully it's more restrained!), but it is smaller in stature where
it would blend in better with the chocolate lilies, sour grass, and star-flowered
false Solomon's seal.
That said, western meadow rue is an attractive wildflower with
erect, lacy-leafed stems arising 40-100 cm high . The herbage ranges from smooth
to somewhat glandular hairy. The leaves are found mostly on the stems where
they are alternately arranged. Individual leaves are 3-4 times ternately divided,
the individual leaflets generally triangular or wedge-shaped with the tips 3-lobed.
The inflorescence is leafy and bracteate with small leaves or
bracts among the flowers. Petals are lacking but the 4-5 sepals are 2-3 mm long
and greenish-white to purplish in color. The 15-30 stamens of male flowers are
pendant, the long thin filaments ranging from 4-8 mm long, tipped with purplish
anthers. The ovaries are found on female flowers, with the stigmas measuring
3-4.5 mm long and usually of a purplish color. The fruit consist of 7-11 spreading
to reflexed achenes.
Habitat:
Western meadow rue is found in moist coniferous woods at all
elevations on both sides of the Cascade Mt. Range.
Range:
Western meadow rue may be found from British Columbia south
along both sides of the Cascade Mts. to northern California and east through
mountainous areas to the Rocky Mts. from Alberta south to Wyoming, Colorado
and Utah.
In the Columbia River Gorge it may be found between the elevations
of 100'-4000' from near Angel's Rest east towards Hood River, OR.
The photo above shows a close-up of a female flower of western meadow rue as seen at MP 31 along the Columbia Gorge Highway to the west of Multnomah Falls......April 20, 2006.
The photo above shows a close-up of the inflorescence with numerous, pendant female flowers of western meadow rue as seen at MP 31 along the Columbia Gorge Highway to the west of Multnomah Falls.....April 20, 2006.
The photo above shows a leaf of western meadow rue as seen at MP 31 along the Columbia Gorge Highway to the west of Multnomah Falls.......April 20, 2006.
The photo above shows a close-up of a leaflet of western meadow rue as seen at MP 31 along the Columbia Gorge Highway to the west of Multnomah Falls......April 20, 2006.
The fruits of western meadow rue as seen along the Elowah Falls Trail in the western Columbia River Gorge.....July 14, 2006.
Inflorescence of a female plant of western meadow rue as seen along the Grassy Knoll Trail #146 atop Grassy Knoll, Gifford Pinchot National Forest.........May 15, 2015.
Paul Slichter