Thalictrum polycarpum (Meadow)

Sierra Meadow Rue (Thalictrum polycarpum, now Thalictrum fendleri var. polycarpum) is California and southern Oregon's native meadow rue, an airy three-to-five foot perennial of mountain meadows and stream margins with finely divided blue-green fern-like foliage. The flowers are tiny and apetalous, with showy stamens and pistils held in delicate clouds at the top of the plant in late spring. Plants are dioecious, meaning male and female flowers grow on separate plants, and the female plants ripen into fluffy seedhead clusters in late summer.

The ornamental value is the foliage: cool blue-green, deeply cut, columbine-like at ground level, ferny and tall on bloom stems. Beautiful as a backdrop in a moist part-shade border, behind hostas, ferns, and shorter native perennials.

Native to moist meadows, stream banks, and mountain woodlands in California and southern Oregon. Wants reliable summer moisture, especially the first couple of years; tolerates more sun with more water, more shade with less.

Deer-resistant. Like most Ranunculaceae, the foliage is avoided by deer.

Note that Thalictrum is wind-pollinated, so the wildlife value is mostly architectural rather than pollinator-direct. Plant for the foliage texture and the dancing seedheads, not for the bees.

Beautiful with red columbine, sword fern, native iris, and Tellima for a layered native shade border.