familyRanunculaceae
genusThalictrum
sectionThalictrum sect. Heterogamia
speciesThalictrum occidentale

Thalictrum occidentale

A. Gray

Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 8: 372. 1873.

Marilyn M. Park, Dennis Festerling Jr.
Common names: Western meadow-rue
EndemicIllustrated
Synonyms: Thalictrum occidentale var. macounii B. Boivin Thalictrum occidentale var. palousense H. St. John
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 3.
Please click on the illustration for a higher resolution version.
Illustrator: John Myers

Copyright: Flora of North America Association

Roots yellow to medium brown or black, thin, fibrous. Stems erect, 30-100 (-120) dm, glabrous, often from well-developed rhizomes. Leaves mostly cauline. Leaf-blade 3-4×-ternately compound; leaflets orbiculate to obovate-cuneate or cordate, apically 3-lobed, 10-30 mm wide, lobe margins coarsely crenate, surfaces glabrous to glandular. Inflorescences terminal (some flowers in axils of distal leaves), panicles, rather open, many flowered. Flowers: sepals whitish or greenish or purplish tinged, ovate, 3.5-4.4 mm in staminate flowers, 1.5-2 mm in pistillate flowers; filaments purplish, 4-10 mm; anthers 1.5-4 mm, long-apiculate; stigma often purplish. Achenes 6-9, spreading to reflexed, short-stipitate; stipe 0.4-1.2 mm; body fusiform, not laterally compressed, (4-) 6-9 (-10) mm, tapering at both ends, glandular, strongly 3-veined on each side, veins not anastomosing; beak 3-4.5 (-6) mm.


Phenology: Flowering early summer-mid summer (Jun–Aug).
Habitat: Open woods, meadows, and copses
Elevation: 200-3400 m

Distribution

V3 982-distribution-map.gif

Alta., B.C., Sask., Yukon, Alaska, Calif., Colo., Idaho, Mont., Nev., N.Dak., Oreg., Utah, Wash., Wyo.

Discussion

Thalictrum occidentale is similar to T. confine and T. venulosum; thorough field studies are needed to determine whether or not they should be maintained as separate species. Thalictrum occidentale can usually be distinguished by its reflexed achenes.

Plants of northern British Columbia, sometimes called Thalictrum occidentale var. breitungii (B. Boivin) Brayshaw, appear to be intermediate between T. occidentale and T. venulosum (T. C. Brayshaw, pers. comm.); achenes are ascending, ± compressed, and beaks rather short (2-4 mm) (T. C. Brayshaw 1989).

Some of the Native Americans used Thalictrum occidentale medicinally for headaches, eye trouble, and sore legs, to loosen phlem, and to improve blood circulation (D. E. Moerman 1986).

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"dm" is not declared as a valid unit of measurement for this property."dm" is not declared as a valid unit of measurement for this property.

... more about "Thalictrum occidentale"
RDF feed
Achene architecture
short-stipitate +
Achene orientation
spreading +  and reflexed +
Achene quantity
6 (9) +
Anther architecture or shape
long-apiculate +
Anther dehiscence
dehiscing +
Anther some measurement
0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br /> (0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br />) +
Author
Marilyn M. Park +  and Dennis Festerling Jr. +
Authority
A. Gray +
Base shape
cuneate +, truncate +  and cordate +
Basionyms
Heterogamia +
Beak architecture
coiled +
Beak atypical some measurement
0.45 cm4.5 mm <br />0.0045 m <br /> (0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br />) +
Beak course
straight +
Beak position or structure subtype
terminal +
Beak presence
absent +
Beak some measurement
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (0.45 cm4.5 mm <br />0.0045 m <br />) +
Body architecture
3-veined +
Body architecture or function or pubescence
glandular +
Body atypical some measurement
0.9 cm9 mm <br />0.009 m <br /> (1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br />) +
Body shape
tapering;compressed;fusiform +
Body some measurement
0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br /> (0.9 cm9 mm <br />0.009 m <br />) +
Bracteole architecture
sepaloid +
Bracteole presence
absent +
Capsule arrangement
aggregated +
Capsule shape
globose;cylindric +
Caudex texture
woody +
Cauline leaf arrangement
alternate +
Common name
Western meadow-rue +
Distal leaf architecture
sessile +
Distribution
Alta. +, B.C. +, Sask. +, Yukon +, Alaska +, Calif. +, Colo. +, Idaho +, Mont. +, Nev. +, N.Dak. +, Oreg. +, Utah +, Wash. +  and Wyo. +
Elevation
200-3400 m +
Embryo size
small +
Endosperm quantity
abundant +
Filament coloration
purplish +
Filament shape
filiform +
Filament some measurement
0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br /> (1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br />) +
Flower architecture
pistillate +  and staminate +
Flower architecture or arrangement or growth form
solitary +
Flower architecture or shape
symmetric +
Flower prominence
showy +  and inconspicuous +
Flower reproduction
unisexual +
Flower sexes
unisexual +
Flower some measurement
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (41 cm410 mm <br />0.41 m <br />) +
Fruit quantity
4;10 +
Fruits achene architecture
stipitate +, sessile +  and aggregate +
Fruits achene architecture or shape
discoid +
Fruits achene shape
falcate;ovoid;obovoid +
Habitat
Open woods, meadows, and copses +
Illustration
Present +
Illustration copyright
Flora of North America Association +
Illustrator
John Myers +
Inflorescence position
axillary +
Inflorescence position or structure subtype
terminal +
Involucral-bract architecture or shape
leaflike +
Involucral-bract quantity
2;3 +
Involucre presence
absent +
Leaf-blade architecture
compound +
Leaf-blade architecture or shape
undivided +
Leaf-blade shape
divided +
Leaf architecture
compound +  and simple +
Leaf arrangement
whorled +, opposite +  and alternate +
Leaf position
cauline +
Leaflet shape
3-lobed +, orbiculate +  and obovate-cuneate or cordate +
Leaflet width
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br />) +
Lobe margin shape
crenate +
Margin architecture
palmate +  and pinnate +
Margin shape
crenate;entire +
Nectary presence
absent +
Number of lower taxa
0 +
Ovule quantity
1 +
Panicle architecture
flowered +  and open +
Panicle quantity
many +
Perianth position
hypogynous +
Petal fusion
distinct +
Petal presence
absent +
Petal prominence
conspicuous +
Petal quantity
0;26 +
Petal shape
spurred +, funnel--shaped +, cup-shaped +  and plane +
Petal size
reduced +
Petiole architecture or shape
sheathing +
Petiole presence
absent +
Phenology
Flowering early summer-mid summer (Jun–Aug). +
Pistil architecture
simple +
Pistil quantity
1 +  and 16 +
Proximal leaf architecture
petiolate +
Publication title
Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts +
Publication year
1873 +
Reference
None +
Rhizome development
well-developed +
Rhizome texture
woody +
Root architecture
tuberous +
Root coloration
yellow;medium brown or black +
Root texture
fibrous +
Root width
thin +
Seed architecture
not arillate +  and stalked +
Seed quantity
1;many +
Sepal architecture
petaloid +
Sepal architecture or shape
spurred +
Sepal arrangement
imbricate +
Sepal atypical quantity
4 (6) +
Sepal coloration
purplish tinged;greenish;whitish +
Sepal duration
not persistent +
Sepal fusion
distinct +
Sepal quantity
4 +
Sepal shape
ovate +
Sepal some measurement
0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br /> (0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br />) +
Side architecture
ribbed +  and veined +
Source xml
https://bibilujan@bitbucket.org/aafc-mbb/fna-fine-grained-xml.git/src/84153f6d59a0a91d69695978a64cee7560374f8e/V3/V3 982.xml +
Special status
Endemic +  and Illustrated +
Stamen fusion
distinct +
Stamen quantity
7;30 +
Staminode presence
absent +
Stem architecture
unarmed +
Stem orientation
erect +
Stem pubescence
glabrous +
Stigma coloration
purplish +
Stipe some measurement
0.04 cm0.4 mm <br />4.0e-4 m <br /> (0.12 cm1.2 mm <br />0.0012 m <br />) +
Stipule presence
absent +
Style duration
persistent +
Style presence
absent +
Surface pubescence
glabrous;glandular +
Synonyms
Thalictrum occidentale var. macounii +  and Thalictrum occidentale var. palousense +
Taxon family
Ranunculaceae +
Taxon name
Thalictrum occidentale +
Taxon parent
Thalictrum sect. Heterogamia +
Taxon rank
species +
Vein architecture
not anastomosing +
Volume
Volume 3 +
Whole organism architecture
rhizomatous +
Whole organism duration
perennial +
Whole organism growth form
herb +
Whole organism position
low +
Whole organism texture
herbaceous +  and woody +
X chromosome quantity
7 +