Tall Meadow-rue

Thalictrum pubescens

Pollinator Value

🐛 Larval Host: Eosphoropteryx thyatyroides, Xanthotype sospeta, Calyptra canadensis, Pseudeva purpurigera, Papaipema unimoda, Eugonobapta nivosaria, Trichodezia albovittata, Eupithecia satyrata, Lithophane unimoda, Lacanobia subjuncta, Herpetogramma pertextalis, Xestia dolosa, Xestia c-nigrum, Melanchra adjuncta
S13+S15 14 verified Eastern NA
❄️ Winter Food Source: Seeds consumed by Ruffed Grouse (Bonasa umbellus), comprising up to 17.9% occurrence in diet studies. Achenes persist on erect stems into winter, providing a food resource in snowy conditions.
S57 Ruffed Grouse diet occurrence=17.9%

Proximity Score: 0
Native Status: ✅ Outaouais ✅ Ottawa ✅ QC ✅ ON
Closest Direction: Local
CEC Eco-Regions: 5 – Northern Forests, 5.2 – Mixed Wood Shield, 5.2.3 – Algonquin/Southern Laurentians
Rarity Notes: Secure (S5) in both Ontario and Quebec, with a global rank of G5. Not listed under SARA or COSEWIC. Broadly distributed across eastern North America from Newfoundland to Georgia. Abundant throughout the Ottawa-Gatineau region with 260 GBIF observations and 23 preserved specimens in the Gatineau bounding box.
S22 G5, S5 ON/QC; S26 not SARA listed; S48 260 observations
Rarity Ranks: QC S5 – Secure, ON S5 – Secure
Migration: Stable
Ecological Context: Occupies rich moist woods, low thickets, swamps, wet meadows, stream banks, and floodplains from 15-1500 m elevation. FACW wetland indicator reflects strong affinity for saturated soils, though tolerates a broad light gradient from full sun to deep shade. Common component of riparian and bottomland plant communities across eastern North America.
S6 habitat description; S11 FACW; S61 floodplain, marshes, wetland margins; S62 Common in Ottawa

Roles: Fortress/Barrier, Pollinator Attractor
S73/S29/S72 Evidence: Fortress/Barrier: S61 keyword match: thorns? (supporting signal only)] | Pollinator Attractor: S73 [MEDIUM]: S68 8 bee associations (threshold=3)]
Notes: Recommended as a background plant for woodland gardens, pairing well with other shade-tolerant native forbs and grasses. Tolerates juglone, making it suitable for planting beneath black walnut. Its tall stature and airy inflorescences provide vertical structure behind lower-growing woodland species.
S3 woodland garden, juglone tolerant; S4 good background plant

Category: Hemostat, Liver Aid
S28 Iroquois Drug categories: Hemostat, Liver Aid
Notes: Iroquois used an infusion of smashed plant as a wash for head and neck to treat nosebleeds (hemostat). A compound infusion of roots was taken as a gall (liver) medicine (Herrick 1977). Two medicinal uses documented by Moerman from Iroquois pharmacopoeia.
S28 Iroquois Drug uses; S6 Iroquois medicinal use

✅ Edible

Foraging Notes: Montagnais used the leaves to flavor salmon (Speck 1917). A single traditional food use documented by Moerman; not widely consumed.
S28 Montagnais Food, Spice