North Carolina Botanical Garden

Plant Index

Scientific Name:
Common Name:
Genus:
Family:

Thalictrum coriaceum

Thalictrum coriaceum (Britton) Small

appalachian meadowrue, maid of the mist

Synonym(s): Thalictrum caulophylloides, Thalictrum steeleanum

Thalictrum coriaceum (Appalachian Meadowrue)

Image ID: 25881
Image by: Bradley, Keith
Image Collection: NCBG Digital Library

PLANT INDEX

ID_PLANT: THCO2
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Thalictrum coriaceum
Include in WOTAS: 1
Publish to Web: 1
Last Modified: 2018-01-09

GENUS INDEX

GENUS CODE: THALI2
GENUS SCIENTIFIC: Thalictrum
GENUS AUTHORITY: L.
GENUS COMMON: Meadow-rue
GENUS SUMMARY: A genus of about 330 species, perennial herbs, of Eurasia, North America, South America, and Africa. Ro & McPheron (1997) corroborate via molecular phylogeny that Anemonella should be included in Thalictrum; in fact, T. thalictroides appears to form a basal subclade in Thalictrum with T. clavatum (and presumably T. mirabile).
GENUS IDENTIFICATION: Identification notes: Thalictrum thalictroides is superficially similar to Enemion biternatum, but can be distinguished by the following characters: fruit an achene (vs. fruit a follicle), petaloid sepals 5-10 (vs. 5).
GENUS REFERENCES: Park & Festerling in FNA (1997); Park (1992)=Z; Ro & McPheron (1997); Tamura in Kubitzki, Rohwer, & Bittrich (1993).

FAMILY INDEX

FAMILY CODE: RANUNC
FAMILY SCIENTIFIC: Ranunculaceae
FAMILY AUTHORITY: A.L. de Jussieu 1789
FAMILY COMMON: Buttercup Family
FAMILY SUMMARY: A family of about 62 genera and 2450 species, herbs, shrubs, and vines, primarily of temperate and boreal regions. Classsification of subfamilies and tribes follows Wang et al. (2009). Subfamilies and tribes follow Wang et al. (2009).
FAMILY REFERENCE: Whittemore & Parfitt in FNA (1997); Wang et al. (2009); Keener (1977); Tamura in Kubitzki, Rohwer, & Bittrich (1993). [also see HYDRASTIDACEAE]

NCBG DESCRIPTIVES

INTRO: Erect perennial found in the understory of moist to somewhat dry forests, rich slope and floodplain forests; usually in moderately to strongly base-rich soils.
STEMS: Stems slender, smooth, with a thickened, somewhat woody base.
LEAVES: Leaves alternate, short-petiolate (with expanded, clasping bases), thick, 2â€“4 times divided into 3; the ultimate leaflets are oval to round, to 2 in. wide, with wavy or lobed tips.
INFLORESCENCE:
FLOWERS: Flowers in a loose, widely branched, pyramid-shaped panicle, on separate male and female plants. Flowers consisting of 5 inconspicuous greenish-pink sepals and, in male (staminate) flowers, dangling, maroon stamens bearing yellowish anthers, and in female (pistillate) flowers, maroon stigmas.
FRUITS: Fruit a cluster of sickle-shaped achenes, each on a tiny stem.
COMMENTS: A southern and central Appalachian endemic.
HEIGHT: 2-4 ft.

DURATION: Perennial
HABIT: Herb

LEAF ARRANGEMENT: Alternate
LEAF COMPLEXITY:
LEAF RETENTION:

FLORAL CHARACTERISTICS
SYMMETRY: Radial (Actinomorphic)
BLOOM TIME: May-Jul

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
			x	x	x	x

BLOOM COLOR: White, maroon

White	Red	Pink	Orange	Yellow	Green	Blue	Lavender	Purple	Violet	Brown	Not Applicable
x	x							x

FRUITING PERIOD:

DISTRIBUTION
HABITAT TYPE: High elevation, Moist forests
NATIVE RANGE:

HORTICULTURAL
Plant Sale Text:

Bloom Table Text:

NCBG Location:

Cultural Notes:

SOIL MOISTURE: Dry, Average
LIGHT EXPOSURE: Part Shade, Shade
MINIMUM HARDINESS ZONE:
MAXIMUM HARDINESS ZONE:
GERMINATION CODE:
WILDLIFE VALUE:
DEER RESISTANCE:

GRIM ACCESSIONS

acc_id	acc_num	acc_dt	coll_id	Action
3145	1989-0110			View

GRIM PLANTINGS

plt_num	acc_id	loc_num	pers_num	inst_dt	Action
5274	3145	11	NCBG staff	0000-00-00	View
5275	3145	72	NCBG staff	0000-00-00	View

USDA PLANTS DATABASE

USDA Symbol: THCO2
USDA Common Name: Maid Of The Mist
Native Status: L48 (N)
Distribution: USA (DC, GA, KY, MD, NC, PA, SC, TN, VA, WV)
Duration: Perennial
Growth Habit: Forb/herb

NATIONAL WETLAND INDICATOR STATUS

Region:	AGCP	AK	AW	CB	EMP	GP	HI	MW	NCNE	WMVE
Status:	FACU				FACU

This information is derived from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 2016 National Wetland Plant List, Version 3.3 (Lichvar, R.W., D.L. Banks, W.N. Kirchner, and N.C. Melvin. 2016. The National Wetland Plant List: 2016 wetland ratings. Phytoneuron 2016-30: 1-17. Published 28 April 2016. ISSN 2153 733X). Regions: AGCP-Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain, AK-Alaska, AW-Arid West, CB-Caribbean, EMP-Eastern Mountains and Piedmont, GP-Great Plains, HI-Hawaii, MW-Midwest, NCNE-Northcentral and Northeast, WMCV-Western Mountains, Valleys & Coast

WEAKLEY FLORA

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Thalictrum coriaceum
COMMON NAME: Appalachian Meadowrue, Maid of the Mist
SYNONYMY: [= FNA, K, Pa, RAB, Va; > T. coriaceum - C, F, G, W, WV; > T. steeleanum B. Boivin - C, F, G, W, WV; > T. coriaceum - S; > T. caulophylloides Small - S]
PHENOLOGY: May-Jul.
HABITAT: Rich forests.
COMMENTS: A Southern and Central Appalachian endemic: MD, VA, and WV south through w. KY and e. TN to w. NC and ne. GA. The roots are bright yellow. A preliminary study concluded that T. steeleanum B. Boivin is not distinct from T. coriaceum (Park 1988); further study is needed. T. steeleanum is alleged to differ in the following ways (and others): plant with long, cordlike rhizomes (vs. stout caudex), terminal leaflets mostly wider than long (vs. mostly longer than wide), achenes curved, 4-6 mm long (vs. less curved, 2.5-4 mm long). Park found these characters (and others) to be variable and to occur together within populations. It ranges from s. PA south through MD, e. WV, w. VA to nw. NC.
RANGE MAP: Thalictrum coriaceum.png

Key to Map Symbols

ABOUT FAMILY (Weakley Flora)
Ranunculaceae A.L. de Jussieu 1789 (Buttercup Family)
SUMMARY: A family of about 62 genera and 2450 species, herbs, shrubs, and vines, primarily of temperate and boreal regions. Classsification of subfamilies and tribes follows Wang et al. (2009). Subfamilies and tribes follow Wang et al. (2009).
REFERENCE: Whittemore & Parfitt in FNA (1997); Wang et al. (2009); Keener (1977); Tamura in Kubitzki, Rohwer, & Bittrich (1993). [also see HYDRASTIDACEAE]

ABOUT GENUS (Weakley Flora)
Thalictrum L. (Meadow-rue)
SUMMARY: A genus of about 330 species, perennial herbs, of Eurasia, North America, South America, and Africa. Ro & McPheron (1997) corroborate via molecular phylogeny that Anemonella should be included in Thalictrum; in fact, T. thalictroides appears to form a basal subclade in Thalictrum with T. clavatum (and presumably T. mirabile).
REFERENCE: Park & Festerling in FNA (1997); Park (1992)=Z; Ro & McPheron (1997); Tamura in Kubitzki, Rohwer, & Bittrich (1993).

HERBARIUM RESOURCES

SERNEC: Find Thalictrum coriaceum in Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)
UNC SERNEC: Find Thalictrum coriaceum in University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Herbarium - Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)

WEB RESOURCES

USDA: Find Thalictrum coriaceum in USDA Plants
NPIN: Find Thalictrum coriaceum in NPIN Database
FNA: Find Thalictrum coriaceum in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Thalictrum coriaceum

IMAGE USE RECORDS

ID IMAGE: 25881 - Primary Image FloraQuest Plant Detail Page (Landscape Preferred)
ID IMAGE1: 25881 - Primary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE2: 0 - Secondary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE3: 0 - Primary Image Plant Sale Sign (Landscape Only)
ID IMAGE4: 0 - Primary Image New Plant Sale Label (Portrait Only)