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Skunk Meadowrue Thalictrum amphibolum

Other Common Name(s):

Previously known as:

  • Thalictrum amabile
  • Thalictrum moseleyi
  • Thalictrum praealtum
  • Thalictrum revolutum var. glandulosior
  • Thalictrum revolutum var. subglabrum
Phonetic Spelling
tha-LIK-trum am-fee-BO-lum
Description

Waxy Meadowrue is a perennial wildflower in the Ranunculaceae (buttercup) family that grows 3 - 7' tall in the eastern US and Canada.  It has a thick central stem that is green or slightly reddish purple with short hairs.  The stem branches occasionally.  It can be found in streambanks, edges of pond or forests, thickets, meadows, prairies, and roadsides. 

Plant it in moist to slightly dry conditions, and partial to full sun. This plant usually grows in fairly typical garden soil, such as a rich loam or clay loam. The height of a plant can vary considerably on fertility of the soil, moisture conditions, and maturity. Very rapid growth in the spring and only blooms for about 3 weeks. This species of Meadowrue appears to tolerate full sun and drought conditions better than most.  However, it will still die back in the heat of the summer but will grow new basal leaves in the fall.

You won't find many places to purchase this plant, possibly because of the foul-smelling leaves when places do sell the Purple Meadowrue as it is so similar and has no smell.  However, it is easily grown from seed.  Also, it is rhizomatous, where you can divide the plant when it is dormant in the spring.

Plant in a meadow or slope of a bank, near a pond or in a woodland or other naturalized area.

Quick ID:

  • Each leaflet has glandular hairs on the underside which gives it a waxy appearance that will glisten when they are exposed to sunlight.
  • The margin of each leaflet turns downward slightly.
  • The leaves have a foul smell when crushed (skunk-like).

Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No significant problems.

See this plant in the following landscape:
Cultivars / Varieties:
Tags:
#NC native#summer flowers#cutting garden#partial shade tolerant#perennial#wildflower
 
Cultivars / Varieties:
Tags:
#NC native#summer flowers#cutting garden#partial shade tolerant#perennial#wildflower
  • Attributes:
    Genus:
    Thalictrum
    Species:
    amphibolum
    Family:
    Ranunculaceae
    Life Cycle:
    Perennial
    Recommended Propagation Strategy:
    Division
    Seed
    Country Or Region Of Origin:
    Eastern United States and Canada
  • Whole Plant Traits:
    Plant Type:
    Herbaceous Perennial
    Native Plant
    Wildflower
    Habit/Form:
    Erect
    Open
    Growth Rate:
    Rapid
    Maintenance:
    Low
    Texture:
    Fine
  • Cultural Conditions:
    Light:
    Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
    Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
    Soil Texture:
    High Organic Matter
    Loam (Silt)
    Soil pH:
    Neutral (6.0-8.0)
    Soil Drainage:
    Moist
    Occasionally Dry
    Available Space To Plant:
    12 inches-3 feet
    NC Region:
    Mountains
    Piedmont
    USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
    4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b
  • Fruit:
    Fruit Color:
    Cream/Tan
    Display/Harvest Time:
    Fall
    Summer
    Fruit Type:
    Achene
    Fruit Length:
    < 1 inch
    Fruit Width:
    < 1 inch
    Fruit Description:
    The female flowers are replaced by small achenes that are ribbed and pointed at both ends, becoming brittle with age and often shed.
  • Flowers:
    Flower Color:
    Gold/Yellow
    Green
    Purple/Lavender
    Flower Inflorescence:
    Panicle
    Flower Value To Gardener:
    Showy
    Flower Bloom Time:
    Spring
    Summer
    Flower Shape:
    Bell
    Flower Size:
    < 1 inch
    Flower Description:
    Long-stalked flowers growing in large branching clusters with slender stamens. The male flower is 1/3" long, has 4-5 light green sepals that spread outward, white stamens with yellow, brown or purplish anthers. The male flowers usually droop downward from slender pedicels.  The female flowers are shaped like small green burs and have numerous short pistils. No petals.
  • Leaves:
    Leaf Color:
    Green
    Leaf Feel:
    Leathery
    Soft
    Leaf Type:
    Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
    Leaf Arrangement:
    Alternate
    Leaf Shape:
    Palmasect
    Leaf Margin:
    Lobed
    Hairs Present:
    Yes
    Leaf Length:
    1-3 inches
    Leaf Width:
    1-3 inches
    Leaf Description:
    Each leaflet is about ¾–2" long and half as much across. It is rounded at the base, and either without lobes or with 2-3 lobes toward the outer edge, containing a large middle lobe and 2 smaller side lobes. The lobes are bluntly pointed. The underside of the leaflet has glandular hairs which gives it a waxy appearance that will glisten when they are exposed to sunlight. The margin of each leaflet turns downward slightly.  When crushed, leaves produce a foul smell, skunk-like.
  • Stem:
    Stem Color:
    Green
    Red/Burgundy
    Stem Is Aromatic:
    No
    Stem Form:
    Straight
    Stem Surface:
    Hairy (pubescent)
    Stem Description:
    A thick central stem that is green or slightly reddish purple with short hairs.  The stem branches occasionally.
  • Landscape:
    Landscape Location:
    Meadow
    Naturalized Area
    Pond
    Slope/Bank
    Woodland
    Landscape Theme:
    Cutting Garden
    Native Garden
    Attracts:
    Bees