States
North CarolinaTennesseeGeorgiaSouth CarolinaKentuckyAlabamaArkansasFloridaLouisianaMississippiVirginiaWest Virginia
Menu

Purple Meadowrue

Thalictrum dasycarpum

Found in forest, woodlands, and prairies. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Northern Tier edition What its natural habitat tells you

—
Not scored

Native status unresolved in West Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 76%

Height
2–6 feet
Spread
3–4 feet
Light
Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture
Usually moist

Space about 3.5 ft apart from its recorded spread, about 8 per 100 sq ft. Enter your bed size for a count

Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Life cycle
Perennial
Bloom
May to July

Not yet recorded · Leaves

County records are not available.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 2

Prairies and grasslands

Barrens native plants returning after prescribed fire, September 2020
Barrens grassland after a prescribed fire. Shown: Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky, a neighboring state.Barrens native plants returning after prescribed fire, September 2020, NPS Photo / Rick Olson, September 2020. Public domain. Source record.

Forests and woodlands

Forest or woodland where the source does not say how moist or dry.

All habitats

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

15CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including WV

Genus host records with ranges including WV · Thalictrum

  • Calyptra canadensisCanadian Owlet, Meadow Rue Owlet
  • Eosphoropteryx thyatyroidesPink-Patched Looper Moth
  • Eugonobapta nivosariaSnowy Geometer
  • Eupithecia miserulataCommon Eupithacia, Common 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
  • Papaipema unimodaMeadow Rue Borer, Chain Fern Border Moth
Show all 15
  • 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
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
—BeesSoutheastern regional records
—Specialist beesPollen specialists
1BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Thalictrum

  • Bonasa umbellusRuffed Grouse
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

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

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Ranunculaceae
Hardiness
Zones 4a–7a
Soil pH
Neutral
Flower color
Yellow, green, purple or white

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Purple Meadow Rue

Conservation status

West Virginia rankSNR
Global rankNot available
WV statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source

In your garden

Will it fit your yard?

Check this plant against your county, sun and soil moisture. Conditions are checked in your browser.

Choose a county to begin.

How to check your spot

Sources