Columbines and Meadow-Rues

Thalictroideae is a subfamily of herbaceous flowering plants in the family Ranunculaceae (buttercups). The subfamily comprises twelve genera – including the type genus Thalictrum – which themselves contain at least 320 species. The native ranges of species within Thalictroideae are widely distributed across the Northern Hemisphere, with the subfamily's center of diversity located in East Asia. Modern native ranges among Thalictroideae species span Eurasia, Africa, and the Americas. Taxa of this subfamily have been the subject of substantial scientific study, with Aquilegia serving as a model system for a variety of fields. Thalictroideae have also been utilized in horticultural and medicinal contexts.

Genetic evidence suggests that the last common ancestor of all current Thalictroideae probably lived in East Asia sometime in the late Eocene, approximately 36 million years ago. The current distribution of Thalictroideae is the product of at least 46 dispersal events since the early Miocene, including at least 45 since the Middle Miocene Climatic Optimum of approximately 17 to 14 million years ago. The dispersal of Thalictroideae was bidirectional: there were dispersals out of East Asia to Europe and North America, with other dispersals from those continents towards East Asia.

Thalictroideae is monophyletic. The subfamily contains a single tribe, Thalictreae. Following a 2026 taxonomic revision, the subfamily was divided into twelve monophyletic genera that are sorted into three recognized clades. One clade contains Aquilegia, Semiaquilegia, and Urophysa. Another clade is formed by Cymatenemion, Enemion, Isopyrum, and Neoenemion. A third clade contains Leptopyrum, Paraquilegia, Paropyrum, and Thalictrum.