Alternate Names: Isopyrum biternatum, Eastern False Rue Anemone False Rue Anemone is a small, native, early-blooming spring ephemeral. The common name is quite accurate because this plant is easily mistaken for Rue Anemone (Thalictrum thalictroides) by all but the most careful observers. Although the small, white flowers do not produce nectar, they frequently attract a wide variety of pollinators to feed on the pollen. Although it does form large populations, this small, somewhat slow-growing plant it is easily overwhelmed by non-native invasive species. Large populations have been extirpated from woodlands after invasion by Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata) an non-native shrubs like Japanese Barberry (Berberis thunbergii). Garlic Mustard is especially insidious because it excretes chemicals that prevent other plants from growing nearby. Description: The plant usually produces one to four dainty white flowers, ½ wide, from the end of stems from the axils of the leaves. Each flower has five petal-like sepals. It compound leaves often are divided into three parts, with each leaflet deeply lobed, approximately 1″ (2.5 cm) long. The leaves along the stems are alternate. Overall height 4-16″ (10-40 cm). Flowering Season: April-May. Habitat: Rich limestone woods and thickets. Range: Ontario southeast to Virginia and Florida, west to Louisiana and Oklahoma, and north to Kansas and Minnesota. Similar Species: As the common name of this plant suggests, it is similar in form to Rue Anemone (Anemonella thalictroides). Rue Anemone can be differentiated by a number of characteristics. Usually Rue Anemone has clusters of three to six flowers, each of which have five to 10 petal-like sepals, instead of only five. Also, only one set of three leaflets appears on its stems and these leaflets may be scalloped or slightly lobed, not deeply lobed. Finally, Rue Anemone does not occur in dense colonies but has greater space between plants. Conservation: G5, Extirpated in New York. Possibly Extirpated in South Dakota. Endangered in Florida Mississippi, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia. Threatened in Alabama, North Carolina, and Ontario.