Columbine meadow rue (Thalictrum) is a herbaceous perennial also in the Ranunculaceae (buttercup) family that is native to Europe and central Asia. It leaves look very similar to columbine (Aquilegia). But the leaves of the columbine meadow rue are gray-green and more delicate than Aquilegia. Columbine meadow rue bears clusters of long-lasting fluffy cottony flowers in shades of lilac, purple, or white in early summer. Columbine has five-petaled flowers that have long, backward-extending spurs that give it a unique, distinctive look.