West Highland Flora

Lesser Meadow-rue


Thalictrum minus ssp arenarium

 

Thalictrum minus ssp arenarium

Photo © Carl Farmer
24 June 2003 Glenbrittle, Skye

Occasional on dunes, shingle, coastal rocks or calcareous grassland.

Flower diameter c 10 mm, petals c 6 mm long.

ID: Easily identified from leaves alone, which are far larger and more divided than those of Alpine Meadow-rue, having 5-7 primary divisions, not 3, and these themselves divided into more or less trefoil sections which are again divided to the base.

Other features: Flowers have 4 petal-like sepals which are dull yellow or greenish, often with a purple tinge.  Flower-spike is richly branched, unlike Alpine M-rue which has stalked flowers each arising singly from main axis of spike.

 

Thalictrum minus ssp arenarium

Photo © Carl Farmer
24 June 2003 Glenbrittle, Skye

 

Thalictrum minus ssp arenarium

Photo © Carl Farmer
24 June 2003 Glenbrittle, Skye

 

Thalictrum minus ssp arenarium

Photo © Carl Farmer
24 June 2003 Glenbrittle, Skye
Leaf 9 cm long from where stalk first branches

  Thalictrum minus ssp arenarium

Photo © Carl Farmer
24 June 2003 Glenbrittle, Skye

Above: Leaf      Right: Buds  


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