Not widespread, this little perennial is more often noticed for its leaves. It has very elegant, fern-like foliage which consists of leaves which are pinnately divided, many times. The leaves sometimes cause this plant to be identified as Maidenhair Fern, which also grows in the same habitat. Lesser Meadow-rue, which can reach 100cm high, has panicles of very small, greenish flowers with petals which drop, leaving showy, dangling, yellow anthers. They bloom from June to August. It grows on stony lake shores, rocky ground and in the grykes in the Burren. It is a native plant and belongs to the family Ranunculeae.
I first identified this plant in the Burren, Co Clare in 1985 and photographed it in the same place in 2006.
If you are satisfied you have correctly identified this plant, please submit your sighting to the National Biodiversity Data Centre
