Common Meadow-rue is a plant species that grows up to 150cm tall, beside streams, in damp meadows and in hedgerows, usually on alkaline soil. It is almost hairless and bears dense, frothy clusters of small, scented flowers that have no petals but have 4-5 narrow, cream sepals and erect, abundant, long stamens. These stamens have creamy filaments and yellow anthers. The leaves are divided into many wedge-shaped leaflets, much longer than wide, with a 3-4 lobed tip. The upper leaves are without stalks. This is a perennial plant that grows from shoots emerging from rhizomes, and it flowers during July and August. It seeds are 1.5-2.5mm long and have 6 ribs. It is not very widespread in Ireland, being mainly found in a band from Limerick up to County Cavan, it is a native species and belongs to the Buttercup or Ranunculaceae family.
I came across this plant species in July 2019 in the Cahir valley of County Clare and photographed it at the time.
If you are satisfied you have correctly identified this plant, please submit your sighting to the National Biodiversity Data Centre
