MEADOW RUE

any of approximately 100 species of perennial herbaceous plants constituting the genus Thalictrum of the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae). They occur in the North Temperate Zone and in South America and Africa, in wooded as well as in sunny, open areas. The plants' compound leaves consist of three stalked leaflets. The small fuzzy flowers, which grow in clusters, are often greenish, yellow, or purple, with four or five sepals; petals are absent. The native American species, such as T. dioicum , also called quicksilver weed, and T. polygomum, also called muskrat weed, are grown as ornamentals in the wild garden. Some of the Eurasian species, however, are more showy, notably T. aquilegiofolium and T. delavayi.