Thalictrum ichangense 'Purple Marble'

Ichang Meadow Rue Ranunculaceae

One of the most attractive forms of Thalictrum ichangense, ‘Purple Marble’ is grown principally for its exceptional foliage. The rounded, shallowly lobed leaflets emerge rich purple-bronze and are beautifully overlaid with silvery-grey marbling and prominent veining, giving the plant a remarkable metallic quality. Held on slender, wiry stems, the foliage forms a neat, low clump before the delicate flowering stems rise above it, carrying clouds of fluffy pale lilac flowers. Flowering is prolonged, with successive flushes continuing well into late summer, and the plant can produce fresh foliage and further flowers after cutting back.

‘Purple Marble’ appears to be a horticultural selection of Thalictrum ichangense rather than a wild-collected botanical form, although its precise origin and original selector do not appear to be well documented. It has subsequently become established in specialist perennial collections for its unusually decorative foliage. The cultivar is sometimes listed simply as Thalictrum ‘Purple Marble’, although T. ichangense ‘Purple Marble’ is the name most commonly used in horticulture. This cultivar is offered in the trade, but we can't really see much difference with the species. The two populations are kept separate all the same.

A superb little plant for the front of a woodland border, where the marbled leaves provide interest from spring onwards and the airy lilac flowers add a second layer of attraction through summer. Best in partial shade and a moisture-retentive, humus-rich soil.

Height: 20–30cm
Spread: 30–40cm
Flowering: June–September, often with successive flowering
Position: Partial shade
Soil: Moist, humus-rich and well drained
Hardiness: H5–H6; fully hardy in the UK