Thalictrum sparsiflorum : Few-flowered Meadow Rue

Scientific Name:

Kingdom: Plantae

Division:

• Tracheophyta (vascular)
• Spermatophyta (seed bearing)
Angiospermae (enclosed seed)

Class: Dicoteldonae (two seed-leaves)

Family: Ranunculaceae (Crowfoot/Buttercup Family)

Genera: Thalictrum (Meadow Rue) (Gk. thallo= to grow green; referring to the bright green shoots)

Species: sparsiflorum

English Name(s):

Few-flowered Meadow Rue,

First Nation Names:

Structure:

• Plant herbaceous (not woody) with colourless acrid (bitter) juice.
• Stems 30-100cm high.

Leaves:

• 2-3 times ternately compound.
• Mostly cauline (on stem), 6-20cm long.
• Rounded to cordate at base, 3-cleft to coarsely crenate (round toothed).

Reproductive Parts:

• Inflorescense (flower cluster) small, paniculate.
• Flowers perfect (bisexual) and of regular symmetry.
• Sepals whitish or ghreenish and often tinged with pink.
• Anthers (male parts) 0.6-0.8mm long with filaments (stalks) dialated in upper part.
• Ovaries superior (above floral parts).

Seed:

• Fruit is an achene.
• Achenes stipitate (stalked), 4-6mm long, half-moon-shaped; style long straight.

Not to Be Confused With:

• Thalictrum alpinum (Alpine Meadow Rue) is a much shorter plant.
• Thalicrum venulosum (Vieny Meadow Rue) flowers are imperfect (unisexual), with male or female parts but not both.

Physiology:

Life Cycle:

• Perennial

Seasonal Cycle:

• plants deciduous from rootstock.

Animal Uses:

Habitat:

• Meadows and moist woods.

Modern:

Industrial:

Medicinal:

Food:

Traditional Gwich'in:

Folklore:

Industrial:

Medicinal:

Food:

Traditional Other:

Folklore:

Industrial:

• Used by different peoples as a stimulant for horses. Plants or flowers were dried and ground and fed to the horses making them sprited, and higher endurance.

Medicinal:

Food: