Data provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria

View additional distribution information on the Jepson eflora

Meadow Rue is a native perennial herb in the Ranunculaceae (Buttercup) family. However, it looks nothing like the conventional image of a Buttercup. It is widespread in Western North America. In California it is found in many locations including the Bay Area, central coast, Coast Ranges, Sierras, and coastal Southern California. It is found from sea level to 10,500 ft., most often in moist forest or woodland areas. It is a shade lover and works well with ferns and other shade plants. In warmer or drier areas it may go dormant in summer and die back to the ground, as some ferns do, but should recover with normal watering.

Plant type

Perennial herb

Size

3 - 6 ft Tall
1 ft Wide

Form

Upright

Growth rate

Moderate

Dormancy

Summer Semi-deciduous

Calscape icon
Color

Yellow

Flowering season

Spring, Summer

Special uses

Deer resistant

Sun

Deep Shade, Partial Shade

Water

Low

Summer irrigation

Max 1x / month once established

Ease of care

Moderate

Cold tolerance

Tolerates cold to -20° F

Soil drainage

Medium, Slow

Soil description

Prefers loamy soil with organic matter.
Soil PH: 5.0 - 8.0

Site type

Meadows, moist areas, wet rocky walls, openings in forest or woodland

Plant communities

Lodgepole Forest, Red Fir Forest, Subalpine Forest, Yellow Pine Forest

Trees: Red Fir (Abies magnifica), other Abies spp. and Pseudotsuga spp., Lodgepole Pine (Pinus contorta), Yellow Pine (Pinus ponderosa), other Pinus spp., Quaking Aspen (Populus tremuloides), Maple (Acer spp.), Incense Cedar (Calocedrus decurrens), Giant Chinquapin (Chrysolepis chrysophylla), Dogwood (Cornus spp.), Oak (Quercus spp. and Notholithocarpus spp.), and Redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens and Sequoiadendron giganteum)

Other plants: Ferns (Adiantum spp., Asplenium spp., Athyrium spp., Blechnum spicant, Dryopteris spp., Pellaea spp., Pentagramma spp., Polypodium spp., Polystichum spp., Woodwardia fimbriata), Wild Ginger (Asarum caudatum), and Trillium spp.

Bats
Caterpillars
Butterflies

Butterflies and moths supported

0 confirmed and 5 likely

Confirmed Likely

Common Eupithacia

Eupithecia miserulata

Satyr Pug

Eupithecia satyrata

Speckled Arches

Lacanobia subjuncta

Hitched Arches

Melanchra adjuncta