woodland wildflower

Rue anemone

Thalictrum thalictroides

Also known as Rue-anemone

Native to much of the USA and southern Canada

Southwestern Maine to Minnesota, south to northwestern Florida, Mississippi, Arkansas and Oklahoma

Light Partial shade Sun tolerance
Moisture Moist Moisture preference
Zones 4–8 Cold to heat range
Bloom Mar–May Flowering time
Height up to 1 ft to 0.3 m
Life cycle Perennial Annual to perennial

Full details, see below

In the garden

A woodland wildflower for partial shade and evenly moist soil. Its white and pink flowers peak in April. At up to 1 ft, it tucks into shade gardens and woodland edges. Hardy in USDA zones 4–8.

Growing conditions

Light

Full sun Partial shade Full shade

Moisture

Dry Moist Wet

Hardiness zones

Find your zone:

When it blooms

The Rue anemone's white and pink flowers bloom March to May, peaking in April. This spring display draws bees and flower flies.

Rue anemone blooms white & pinkFoliage

Pollinators & wildlife

Bees Pure Green Sweat bee

also Western Honey Bee, Colletes inaequalis, Orange-legged Furrow Bee +22 more
Agapostemon texanus, Golden Sweat Bee, Spurred Ceratina, Carlin's Mining Bee, Bristle Sweat Bee, Rugose-chested Sweat Bee, Cresson's Mining Bee, Anthophora walshii, Ceratina dupla, Spot-fronted Wool-carder Bee, Imitator Miner Bee, Experienced Sweat Bee, Osmia pumila, Thistle Longhorn-Cuckoo, Nelumbo Masked Bee, Osmia conjuncta, Birkmann's Sweat Bee, Andrena personata, Lasioglossum abanci, Macoupin County sweat bee, Spring Beauty Miner, Pseudopanurgus labrosus
Flower flies Long-tailed Aphideater

also Greater Bee Fly, Black-shouldered Drone Fly, Eastern Forest Sedgesitter +2 more
Eastern Catkin Fly, Sphaerophoria cylindricus
Butterflies Falcate Orangetip also West Virginia White
Also visited by
- Beetles: Double-lined Longhorn Beetle, Acmaeodera tubulus

Full plant details

Where it grows

Habitat: WoodlandThe wild plant community it grows in.
Native range: Much of the USA and southern CanadaUnited States (33): AL, AR, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI, SC, TN, VA, VT, WI, WV. Canada (1): ON. Where it grows wild on its own, by state and province.
Native distribution: Southwestern Maine to Minnesota, south to northwestern Florida, Mississippi, Arkansas and OklahomaThe same native range, usually more exact than the state list, and often noting where it has spread beyond it.

Growing conditions

Light: Partial shadeHow much sun it takes, from full sun to full shade.
Moisture: MoistThe soil dampness it prefers, from dry to wet.
Hardiness zones: USDA 4–8 · Canadian 5–7The cold-to-heat climate range it survives.
Soil: Humus-rich, sometimes dry, soilsThe soils it grows in naturally.

Growth & form

Height: up to 1 ft (to 0.3 m)Typical mature height.
Life cycle: PerennialWhether it lives a single season (annual), two (biennial), or returns for years (perennial).

Flowers, foliage & fruit

Type: WildflowerWhat kind of plant it is.
Bloom: Mar–MayWhen it flowers.
Flower color: White, PinkThe bloom color, or colors.
Fruit/Seeds: ripens Apr–MayThe seed or fruit it sets after flowering.
Toxicity: Poisonous if eatenWhether any part is poisonous to people or pets.