Index of Species Information
SPECIES: Thalictrum dioicum
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| Early meadow-rue. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency image. |
Introductory
SPECIES: Thalictrum dioicum
AUTHORSHIP AND CITATION:
Pavek, Diane S. 1992. Thalictrum dioicum. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online].
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station,
Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available:
https://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/forb/thadio/all.html [].
Revisions:
On 6 June 2018, the common name of this species was changed in FEIS
from: early meadowrue
to: early meadow-rue. Images were also added.
ABBREVIATION:
THADIO
SYNONYMS:
NO-ENTRY
NRCS PLANT CODE:
THDI
COMMON NAMES:
early meadow-rue
quicksilver-weed
dioecious meadowrue
TAXONOMY:
The scientific name for early meadow-rue is Thalictrum dioicum L.
It has three recognized varieties in Canada:
Thalictrum dioicum var. adiantinum Greene,
Thalictrum dioicum var. huronense Greene
Thalictrum dioicum var. langfordii Greene [19].
In Canada and Minnesota, this species has been confused with
Thalictrum venulosum Trel., which is a separate and valid species [12].
LIFE FORM:
Forb
FEDERAL LEGAL STATUS:
No special status
OTHER STATUS:
NO-ENTRY
DISTRIBUTION AND OCCURRENCE
SPECIES: Thalictrum dioicum
GENERAL DISTRIBUTION:
Early meadow-rue's range extends from south-central Canada south to
Georgia and Alabama. It is distributed eastward from the Mississippi
River to the Atlantic Coast [9,17,20,21].
 |
| Distribution of early meadow-rue. Map courtesy of USDA, NRCS. 2018. The PLANTS Database.
National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC [2018, June 6] [23]. |
ECOSYSTEMS:
FRES10 White - red - jack pine
FRES13 Loblolly - shortleaf pine
FRES14 Oak - pine
FRES15 Oak - hickory
FRES18 Maple - beech - birch
FRES19 Aspen - birch
STATES:
AL CT GA IL IA KS KY MA ME MI
MN MO ND NH RI SC SD TN VT WV
WI LB MB ON PQ SK
BLM PHYSIOGRAPHIC REGIONS:
14 Great Plains
16 Upper Missouri Basin and Broken Lands
KUCHLER PLANT ASSOCIATIONS:
K081 Oak savanna
K082 Mosaic of bluestem prairie and oak - hickory forest
K084 Cross Timbers
K089 Black Belt
K095 Great Lakes pine forest
K099 Maple - basswood forest
K100 Oak - hickory forest
K102 Beech - maple forest
K103 Mixed mesophytic forest
K104 Appalachian oak forest
K106 Northern hardwoods
K107 Northern hardwoods - fir forest
K108 Northern hardwoods - spruce forest
K111 Oak - hickory - pine forest
K112 Southern mixed forest
K114 Pocosin
SAF COVER TYPES:
1 Jack pine
14 Northern pin oak
15 Red pine
16 Aspen
18 Paper birch
19 Gray birch - red maple
20 White pine - northern red oak - maple
25 Sugar maple - beech - yellow birch
26 Sugar maple - basswood
27 Sugar maple
28 Black cherry - maple
40 Post oak - blackjack oak
42 Bur oak
43 Bear oak
44 Chestnut oak
45 Pitch pine
46 Eastern redcedar
50 Black locust
51 White pine - chestnut oak
52 White oak - black oak - northern red oak
53 White oak
55 Northern red oak
57 Yellow-poplar
58 Yellow-poplar - eastern hemlock
59 Yellow-poplar - white oak - northern red oak
60 Beech - sugar maple
64 Sassafras - persimmon
67 Mohrs ("shin") oak
69 Sand pine
71 Longleaf pine - scrub oak
72 Southern scrub oak
73 Southern redcedar
74 Cabbage palmetto
75 Shortleaf pine
76 Shortleaf pine - oak
78 Virginia pine - oak
79 Virginia pine
80 Loblolly pine - shortleaf pine
81 Loblolly pine
82 Loblolly pine - hardwood
85 Slash pine - hardwood
87 Sweetgum - yellow-poplar
108 Red maple
109 Hawthorn
110 Black oak
SRM (RANGELAND) COVER TYPES:
NO-ENTRY
HABITAT TYPES AND PLANT COMMUNITIES:
Early meadow-rue is listed as a dominant in the following classification:
Field guide to forest habitat types of northern Wisconsin - Kotar & others 1988
MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS
SPECIES: Thalictrum dioicum
IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE:
Nongame birds and small mammals may consume the seeds of early
meadow-rue.
PALATABILITY:
NO-ENTRY
NUTRITIONAL VALUE:
No food value is listed for early meadow-rue. However, another similar
meadow-rue (Thalictrum fendleri) has about 11 percent digestible protein
[15].
COVER VALUE:
NO-ENTRY
VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES:
The male plants reproduce asexually by stolons, which could help
stabilize shaded moist disturbed habitats [14].
OTHER USES AND VALUES:
The gray-green fernlike foliage is decorative. It persists in dry
summer and autumn and provides good ground cover for shaded
wildflower gardens [21].
OTHER MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS:
NO-ENTRY
BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
SPECIES: Thalictrum dioicum
GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS:
Early meadow-rue is a dioecious perennial. Its hollow stems rise 8 to 28
inches (20-70 cm) from a caudex or rootstock [9]. The caudex has dried
persistent bracts from the growth of previous years. The alternate,
compound leaves have long stalks. Flowers have no petals and are in
loose, open panicles. Both male and female flowers have four purple to
greenish white sepals that drop off before fruits are formed [9].
RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM:
Hemicryptophyte
REGENERATION PROCESSES:
Early meadow-rue has a shallowly rooted caudex. Foliage dies back to
this rootstock each winter and resprouts in spring. Brundrett and
others [3] note that it grows typically in colonies. However, Melampy
[14] asserts that only male plants produce stolons; therefore, colonies
are unisexual. While vegetative reproduction favors the spread of male
plants, Melampy [14] notes that they may be more susceptible to
environmental stresses than female plants. Male plants also reproduce
sexually, having long pendulous stamens that facilitate wind pollination
[9]. Fruits are achenes with no special dispersal mechanisms. Most
likely, the dry fruits drop near the parent plants unless they are
consumed. There is no information on the effects of animal digestive
tracts on seed survival.
SITE CHARACTERISTICS:
Early meadow-rue commonly occurs on alluvial soils that range from
well-drained sandy loams to poorly drained clays [1,16]; however, it
usually is found on well-drained soils [1]. It grows in moist open
woods and is found on north-facing slopes, ledges, rocky areas, ravines,
and near limestone outcrops [21].
SUCCESSIONAL STATUS:
A shade-tolerant plant, early meadow-rue occurs as a minor component (up
to 25% cover, [4]) in subclimax communities of bur oak (Quercus
macrocarpa) and aspen (Populus tremuloides).
SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT:
With its leaves about half grown, early meadow-rue blooms early in spring
(April or May) throughout its range [9,17,20,21]. It flowers with or
before the expansion of leaves on deciduous trees. Fruit begins to
mature approximately 1 month later (June) [9,17,20,21]. Leaves are
maintained throughout summer. In fall, leaves become senescent, and
there are no living shoots during winter [9,17,20,21].
FIRE ECOLOGY
SPECIES: Thalictrum dioicum
FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS:
Early meadow-rue is a component of deciduous forests that abutt prairies.
Prairie fire suppression has increased the range of this plant [4].
With a shallowly rooted caudex, the degree of resistance to fire depends
on protection obtained from soil cover. As with other stolon-producing
species, early meadow-rue is most likely to survive cool fires that do
not consume duff [7]. However, seedlings probably will not survive.
This plant would not survive severe fires. Fire risk is greatest during
the summer when severe thunderstorms commonly occur throughout its
range.
FIRE REGIMES:
Find fire regime information for the plant communities in which this
species may occur by entering the species name in the FEIS home page under
"Find Fire Regimes".
POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY:
Caudex, growing points in soil
FIRE EFFECTS
SPECIES: Thalictrum dioicum
IMMEDIATE FIRE EFFECT ON PLANT:
Fire effects have not been studied in this plant. It is probably
top-killed by fire. Any aboveground stolons also would be killed.
Spring burning would have the greatest impact on this species, since it
would kill the seeds that mature in June.
PLANT RESPONSE TO FIRE:
The abundance of early meadow-rue would be severely reduced immediately
postfire. Since this species reproduces both vegetatively and sexually,
long-term postfire recovery should be fairly successful. Off-site
regeneration is possible but anticipated to be slow, since seed is not
wind dispersed. Fire severity and rooting depth of the caudex controls
its recovery.
FIRE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS:
NO-ENTRY
REFERENCES
SPECIES: Thalictrum dioicum
REFERENCES:
1. Alban, David H.; Perala, Donald A.; Schlaegel, Bryce E. 1978. Biomass
and nutrient distribution in aspen, pine, and spruce stands on the same
soil type in Minnesota. Canadian Journal of Forest Research. 8: 290-299.
[16911]
2. Bernard, Stephen R.; Brown, Kenneth F. 1977. Distribution of mammals,
reptiles, and amphibians by BLM physiographic regions and A.W. Kuchler's
associations for the eleven western states. Tech. Note 301. Denver, CO:
U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management. 169 p.
[434]
3. Dawson, Todd E.; Ehleringer, James R. 1993. Gender-specific physiology,
carbon isotope discrimination, and habitat distribution in boxelder,
Acer negundo. Ecology. 74(3): 798-815. [17565]
4. Daubenmire, Rexford F. 1936. The "big woods" of Minnesota: its
structure, and relation to climate, fire, and soils. Ecological
Monographs. 6(2): 233-268. [2697]
5. Dittberner, Phillip L.; Olson, Michael R. 1983. The plant information
network (PIN) data base: Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, Utah, and
Wyoming. FWS/OBS-83/86. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of the Interior,
Fish and Wildlife Service. 786 p. [806]
6. Eyre, F. H., ed. 1980. Forest cover types of the United States and
Canada. Washington, DC: Society of American Foresters. 148 p. [905]
7. Fischer, William C.; Bradley, Anne F. 1987. Fire ecology of western
Montana forest habitat types. Gen. Tech. Rep. INT-223. Ogden, UT: U.S.
Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Research
Station. 95 p. [633]
8. Garrison, George A.; Bjugstad, Ardell J.; Duncan, Don A.; [and others].
1977. Vegetation and environmental features of forest and range
ecosystems. Agric. Handb. 475. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Forest Service. 68 p. [998]
9. Great Plains Flora Association. 1986. Flora of the Great Plains.
Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas. 1392 p. [1603]
10. Kotar, John; Kovach, Joseph A.; Locey, Craig T. 1988. Field guide to
forest habitat types of northern Wisconsin. Madison, WI: University of
Wisconsin, Department of Forestry; Wisconsin Department of Natural
Resources. 217 p. [11510]
11. Kuchler, A. W. 1964. Manual to accompany the map of potential vegetation
of the conterminous United States. Special Publication No. 36. New York:
American Geographical Society. 77 p. [1384]
12. Lakela, O. 1965. A flora of northeastern Minnesota. Minneapolis, MN:
University of Minnesota Press. 541 p. [18142]
13. Lyon, L. Jack; Stickney, Peter F. 1976. Early vegetal succession
following large northern Rocky Mountain wildfires. In: Proceedings, Tall
Timbers fire ecology conference and Intermountain Fire Research Council
fire and land management symposium; 1974 October 8-10; Missoula, MT. No.
14. Tallahassee, FL: Tall Timbers Research Station: 355-373. [1496]
14. Melampy, Michael N. 1981. Sex-linked niche differentiation in two
species of Thalictrum. American Midland Naturalist. 106(2): 325-334.
[18190]
15. National Academy of Sciences. 1971. Atlas of nutritional data on United
States and Canadian feeds. Washington, DC: National Academy of Sciences.
772 p. [1731]
16. Potter, Loren D.; Moir, D. Ross. 1961. Phytosociological study of burned
deciduous woods, Turtle Mountains North Dakota. Ecology. 42(3): 468-480.
[10191]
17. Radford, Albert E.; Ahles, Harry E.; Bell, C. Ritchie. 1968. Manual of
the vascular flora of the Carolinas. Chapel Hill, NC: The University of
North Carolina Press. 1183 p. [7606]
18. Raunkiaer, C. 1934. The life forms of plants and statistical plant
geography. Oxford: Clarendon Press. 632 p. [2843]
19. Scoggan, H. J. 1978. The flora of Canada. Ottawa, Canada: National
Museums of Canada. (4 volumes). [18143]
20. Seymour, Frank Conkling. 1982. The flora of New England. 2d ed.
Phytologia Memoirs 5. Plainfield, NJ: Harold N. Moldenke and Alma L.
Moldenke. 611 p. [7604]
21. Steyermark, J. A. 1963. Flora of Missouri. Ames, IA: Iowa State
University Press. 1725 p. [18144]
22. Stickney, Peter F. 1989. Seral origin of species originating in northern
Rocky Mountain forests. Unpublished draft on file at: U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station, Fire
Sciences Laboratory, Missoula, MT; RWU 4403 files. 7 p. [20090]
23. USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. 2018. PLANTS Database, [Online].
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service (Producer).
Available: https://plants.usda.gov/. [34262]
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