Thickleaf Meadow-rue
Thalictrum coriaceum
Found in rich forests. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Northern Tier edition What its natural habitat tells you
Native to Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?
Profile 94%
- Height
- Up to about 5 feet
- Light
- Partial shade, Full shade, Full sun
- Soil moisture
- Dry to moist

At a glance
- Life cycle
- Perennial
- Bloom
- May to July
Not yet recorded · Spread · Leaves
Recorded in 38 Virginia counties.
Natural habitats
Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

Also found with this plant
Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Virginia. Shared habitat, not food. 137 animals.
- Ruby-throated HummingbirdArchilochus colubris
- Scarlet TanagerPiranga olivacea
- Summer TanagerPiranga rubra
- VeeryCatharus fuscescens
- Wood ThrushHylocichla mustelina
- Worm-eating WarblerHelmitheros vermivorum
- American CrowCorvus brachyrhynchos
- American WoodcockScolopax minor
- Black-billed CuckooCoccyzus erythropthalmus
- Black-throated Green WarblerDendroica virens
- Carolina WrenThryothorus ludovicianus
- Common GrackleQuiscalus quiscula
- Common YellowthroatGeothlypis trichas
- Dark-eyed JuncoJunco hyemalis
- Eastern Screech-owlMegascops asio
- Eastern TowheePipilo erythrophthalmus
- Eastern Wood-peweeContopus virens
- Evening GrosbeakCoccothraustes vespertinus
- Great Crested FlycatcherMyiarchus crinitus
- Red-breasted NuthatchSitta canadensis
- Red-winged BlackbirdAgelaius phoeniceus
- Acadian FlycatcherEmpidonax virescens
- Alder FlycatcherEmpidonax alnorum
- Blackburnian WarblerDendroica fusca
Who uses this plant?
17CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA
Genus host records with ranges including VA · Thalictrum
- Calyptra canadensisCanadian Owlet, Meadow Rue Owlet
- Eosphoropteryx thyatyroidesPink-Patched Looper Moth
- Eugonobapta nivosariaSnowy Geometer
- Eupithecia miserulataCommon Eupithacia, Common Pug
- Eupithecia satyrataSatyr Pug
- Herpetogramma pertextalisBold-Feathered Grass Moth
- Lacanobia subjunctaSpeckled Arches, Subdues Arches, Harnessed Mamestra, Speckled Cutworm Moth, Grand Arches?(incorrectly)
- Lithophane unimodaDowdy Pinion
- Melanchra adjunctaHitched Arches
- Papaipema nebrisStalk Borer
Show all 17
- Papaipema unimodaMeadow Rue Borer, Chain Fern Border Moth
- Papilio cresphontesEastern Giant Swallowtail
- Pseudeva purpurigeraStraight-Lined Looper Moth
- Trichodezia albovittataWhite-Striped Black
- Xanthotype sospetaCrocus Geometer
- Xestia c-nigrumSpotted Cut-Worm, Setaceous Hebrew Character, Lesser Black-letter Dart
- Xestia dolosaGreater Black-Letter Dart, Greater Spotted Cutworm
1BeesSoutheastern regional records
Southeastern regional records · Thalictrum
Individual names are not available yet.
Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
1BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim
Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Thalictrum
- Bonasa umbellusRuffed Grouse
Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening
No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects
Plant details
- Family
- Ranunculaceae
- Flower color
- White, red or purple
Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.
Growing sources and scope
- Bloom · “May to July” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition · Carolinas and Georgia
- Flower color · “White, red or purple” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
- Height · “Up to about 5 feet” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
- Life cycle · “Perennial” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
- Light · “Partial shade; Full shade; Full sun (documented habitat)” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition · Carolinas and Georgia
- Soil · “Dry; Moist (documented habitat)” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition · Carolinas and Georgia
Also known as
Appalachian Meadow Rue; Maid of the Mist; Thickleaf Meadow rue
Conservation status
| Virginia rank | S4 |
|---|---|
| Global rank | G4 |
| VA status | Not verified |
| Federal status | Not verified |
Will it fit your yard?
Check this plant against your county, sun and soil moisture. Conditions are checked in your browser.
Sources
- Digital Atlas of the Virginia Flora
- USDA PLANTS
- Vascular Plants of North Carolina (NC Natural Heritage Program)
- Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition
- NatureServe Explorer
- Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
- Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- Smith, Bachelder, Russell, Morales, Mosher & Seltmann 2024, Bee-Specialization-Modeling v0.6.1 (specialist host table compiled from J. Fowler's pollen specialist bee lists), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)
- Narango, Tallamy & Shropshire 2020, Few keystone plant genera support the majority of Lepidoptera species, Nature Communications

























