Thalictrum minus

Lesser Meadow -rue ( Thalictrum minus ), illustration.

The Lesser Meadow -rue ( Thalictrum minus) is a flowering plant in the genus of meadow diamonds ( Thalictrum ) from the family of the buttercup family ( Ranunculaceae ).

Description

The Small Meadow Rue is a deciduous, perennial herbaceous plant that reaches the stature heights of up to 150 centimeters. The upright stem is branched.

The alternate on the stem are arranged distributed leaves are pinnate with multiple rounded to wedge-shaped sections. They are bluish- green frosted, more rarely, grayish - green.

In a branched, loose, paniculate inflorescence are many upright or nodding flowers. The 4-5 mm long flowers have four bright yellow bloom. The numerous hanging stamens have a yellowish color. The up to 2 mm long, spindle-shaped nutlets are longitudinally ribbed. The flowering period extends from May to August.

The species is hexaploid, decaploid and dodecaploid; it has 2n chromosome numbers = 42, 70 or 84

Ecology

The plant is wind-pollinated; vorweiblichen the flowers are from " hängeblütigen type"; the anthers are quite long and easy to move, what the wind pollination favors. But you are on the other hand as a show organ for pollen -eating visitors. In addition, self-pollination is not rare. In bad weather, the flowers remain closed.

The nutlets propagate as wind spreaders, balloonists, possibly as Bohrfrucht or as Regenschwemmling.

Dissemination

The Small Meadow Rue arrives in Europe mainly in the south, in southern Central Europe, in the West and in the East. In the north and in Germany it is quite rare. It is a semi-shade to semi - light plant and grows example, on sunny thickets, forest edges, and in light oak stands. It prefers calcareous, humus-rich, stony clay or loess. It is a characteristic species of the association Geranion sanguinei ( thermophilic fringe communities ).

Subspecies

In Europe, the following sub- types occur:

• Subsp. kemense ( Fries) Cajander, occurs in northern Europe, northern Asia and North America, in Europe only in northern Scandinavia and northern Russia
• Subsp. minus (including, ssp. majus ( Crantz ) Rouy & FOUC. ), is found throughout Europe, but recedes in the north
• Subsp. olympicum ( Boiss. & Heldr. ) Strid, comes only in Europe on the Balkan peninsula in southeastern Europe and southern Central Europe
• Subsp. pseudo minus ( Borbás ) Soó, occurs only in Austria, Hungary and the former Czechoslovakia
• Subsp. pubescens (Schleicher ex DC. ) Arcangeli, arrives in Europe only in Portugal, Spain and France.

Swell

• Bruno P. Kremer: Steinbach large plant guide. Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart 2005, ISBN 3-8001-4903-6.
• Small Meadow Rue. In: FloraWeb.de.