This woodland wildflower nudges its way through brown leaves in early spring. Its pink, star-shaped blooms and rounded, green foliage fade away in mid-summer to remain dormant until the next spring. It prefers to grow in shady conditions and average or slightly dry soils and is tolerant of drought. 
 
Ideal for woodland and shady rock gardens or as underplantings for trees and shrubs.
 
The taxonomy of rue anemone was in dispute over the decades, and some still place it in the genus Anemonella, but molecular evidence supports its placement in the Thalictrum genus. It's often confused with false rue-anemone, which has white blooms and is usually found in large colonies in moist bottomlands. 
 
Personal Characteristics:
Grows 4-8" tall and slightly wider.
 
Prefers full or part shade. Tolerates heavy shade and drought.
 
Prefers well-drained, organically rich soils, including sandy, medium to medium-dry soils. Doesn't tolerate wet conditions.
 
Blooms March-May with singular, 1" whitish or pink-tinged flowers with 5-10 petal-like sepals and many yellow-green stamens.
 
Compound leaf has 3 ovate, rounded-lobe leaflets.
 
Wildlife Value:
Attracts bees, butterflies, moths, and small mammals.
 
Medicinal, Edible, and Other Uses:
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Resources:
North Carolina Extension
: https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/anemonella-thalictroides/
 
Wikipedia
: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thalictrum_thalictroides
 
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