Wild Flowers East of the Rockies 123 



TALL MEADOW RUE (Thalictrum polygamum) 



is one of the characteristic plants of swamps and 

 edges of streams. It is very ambitious and determin- 

 ed that none of its neighbors shall raise their heads 

 above it. If the surrounding vegetation averages one 

 foot in height, this is sure to attain a height of two 

 feet. Should its neighboring plants be three or four 

 feet high, we will find the plumey flowers of this 

 species triumphantly waving above them on stems 

 five, six or even seven feet tall. 



Naturally a flower that thrusts itself so prominently 

 into view, has many insect visitors and is often cross- 

 pollenized by them. It is very capable of looking 

 out for itself, for it has often three kinds of flowers 

 on one plant, staminate, pistillate and perfect. 



The stalk is rather stout and grooved, pale green, 

 stained with maroon. The long stemmed leaves are 

 many times compounded into small, lobed leaflets of a 

 pale, dull blue-green color. The flowers are in feathery 

 clusters; each individual flower having numerous 

 white filaments, no petals, but usually four or five 

 early falling sepals. 



From June to September we may find the mist-like 

 flowers of Meadow Rue in swamps, from Labrador 

 to Manitoba and south through the United States. 



EARLY MEADOW RUE (T. dioicum) is a smaller 

 and more slender species found in open woods and 

 on rocky hillsides. Staminate, brown-tipped flowers 

 grow on some plants and pale greenish pistillate ones 

 grow on others. 



PASQUE FLOWER (Anemone patens) has a soli- 

 tary erect flower with five to seven purplish sepals. 

 Leaves divided and cut into narrow, acute lobes. 

 Both stem and leaves covered with silky hairs. This 

 species is found on prairies from Wis. and Montana 

 southwards. 



