Leaf
Flocci Nivis, Wikimedia · CC BY 4.0
Columbine meadow-rue
Thalictrum aquilegiifolium L.
Also known as: French meadow-rue
Family: Ranunculaceae
0.6 to 1.2 m tall
Perennial of light woodland and shaded borders, valued for its light foliage and airy flower clusters.
Flowering: May – June
Part shade
Shade
Hardy to about -25°C
❓ How do you recognise this plant?
Like plume poppy, its flowers have no visible petals: they are tufts of coloured stamens that give this airy, cloud-like effect, a strategy shared by several genera of the buttercup family.
🍃 Leaves
Compound, divided into small rounded leaflets recalling those of columbine, blue-green
🌸 Flowers
Petal-less, formed of tufts of lilac-pink to mauve stamens, gathered in airy corymbs at the top of slender, upright stems
🍎 Fruits
Clustered achenes, inconspicuous
🪵 Bark
Not applicable — herbaceous plant
🗺️ Distribution
Native to Europe and temperate Asia, occurring wild in some meadows and open woods of eastern France and widely grown elsewhere
🐝 Value for pollinators
Flowers without nectar but rich in pollen, visited by many foraging insects
✂️ Horticultural uses
Planted in shaded or partly shaded borders for its light foliage and cloud-like flower clusters, a popular combination with ferns and hostas
⚠️ Possible toxicity
Like other members of the buttercup family, contains alkaloids and irritant compounds; the sap may cause slight skin irritation, and ingestion digestive upset.
🌿 Other Ranunculaceae to discover
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.
🌱 This database is constantly evolving — species and information are added and corrected regularly. Spotted a mistake? Report it below.
© Floraneo — profile content is protected; reproduction without permission is prohibited. Photos remain under their own licence (see the credit shown on each photo).