Thalictrums are 'see-through' plants. They have heads of many small flowers, usually without petals, so consisting mainly of stamens and giving an airy appearance, aided by the finely divided foliage, often grey-green. So despite the fact that most of them have no colourful flowers, they are most attractive additions to the garden.

Thalictrum isopyroides (which must have a name, although so far it has escaped us) has typically transparent foliage. It consists of numerous tiny leaflets, grey-green, so the whole plant has a light, delicate appearance. It looks great on a rock garden or raised bed, and is a lot tougher than it looks.