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BRITISH WILD FLOWERS. 
GENUS II. 
THE MEADOW-RUE. (Thalictrum, Lin.) 
Lin. Syst. POLYANDRIA POLYGYNIA. 
Generic Character. —Sepals and petals undistinguisbable, caducous. Stamens numerous. Akenia numerous, stalked, and awnless. 
Embryo very small, with converging cotyledons. 
Description, &c. —The plants belonging to this genus are very common, particularly in wet meadows. 
They have generally stiff, upright, hollow stems; yellow, fleshy roots ; compound leaves, and panicled flowers. 
The flowers themselves are not remarkable for their beauty, as they consist of little else but stamens; but in 
some of the species they have a light feathery appearance, from their small size and great number. The leaves 
are always compound, that is, divided into leaflets, and the footstalks sheath the stem at their base. The name 
of Meadow-Rue has been given to these plants from some slight resemblance that has been fancied between the 
leaves of one of the species and those of the common garden Rue ; but there is no resemblance in the properties 
of the two plants. Thalictrum is from a Greek word signifying to flourish or look green ; the leaves of these 
plants being very abundant, and generally of a deep green, from the moist places in which they grow. This 
plant, like the Clematis, according to the Linnasan system, belongs to Polyandria Polygynia, from its numerous 
stamens and carpels. The carpels contain only one seed each, and, when ripe, are called akenia. 
1. —THE COMMON MEADOW-RUE. (Thalictrum flavum, Lin.) 
Engravings. —Eng. Bot., t. 367 ; 2nd ed., t. 775. I leaves bipinnate ; leaflets broadly obovate, or wedge-sbaped, trifid ; 
Specific Character. — Stem erect, branched, furrowed, leafy; | panicle compact, sub-corymbose ; flowers erect. (Smith.) 
Description, &c. —This is by for the most coarse-growing and least ornamental of all the species. It is 
extremely common in the southern and middle districts of England, but it becomes more rare towards the 
north. It is generally found in Ozier beds or marshy meadows, or growing on the banks of rivulets or ditches, 
as it appears only to flourish in a wet soil. The stems grow two or three feet high, and are always hollow. The 
flowers, which are produced in June or July, are erect, and consist almost entirely of large yellow stamens. They 
are stiff in their habit of growth, and form a large compact panicle. The leaflets vary considerably in form, 
and they are exceedingly acrid' in their properties; so much so, indeed, as to be used by the country people 
when bruised, to act as a blister. This species is never cultivated in gardens. 
2. — THE GREATER MEADOW-RUE. (Thalictrum majus, Crantz.) 
Engravings. —Eng. Bot., t. 611 ; 2nd ed., t. 774. umbellate ; flowers drooping ; stipulas creseent-sbaped, notched. 
Specific Character. —Leaves triply pinnate; leaflets ternate, (Smith.) 
lobed, glaucous beneath ; branches of the panicle aggregate, somewhat 
Description, &c. —This is a much more elegant plant than the last, from its more slender stalks and drooping 
flowers, and it is common in Scotland and the North of England, while it is extremely rare in the south. In 
other respects the Greater Meadow-Rue bears considerable resemblance to the common species, though its leaves 
have less acridity. The seeds, if sown, are a long time before they germinate, as they are of the kind called 
akenia—that is, the seed vessel, though distinct from the seed, remains on it when the seed is gathered. 
