Goat's Rue is a
non-native
perennial plant of the UK, typically found growing in grassland and waste ground, to a mature height of up to 150cm.
Goat's Rue is native to the Middle East and was introduced into the UK in the sixteenth century. Goat's Rue is a traditional herbal medicinal plant and studies on its compounds in recent years have led to the development of drugs to treat diabetes. It is an erect, fairly open, branching plant with smooth zig-zagged stems. Goat's Rue has large pinnate leaves with well-spaced, unevenly paired leaflets. It bears loose clusters of lilac, purple or white pea-like flowers in long spikes.
Botanic classification and naming: Goat's Rue is a member of the Pea (Fabaceae) family. The genus name
'Galega' identifies the plant as a Goat's Rue and its species name 'officinalis' means 'herbal medicinal plant'.
Concerns: Toxic to livestock.
Benefits: Goat's Rue has root nodules that host nitrogen-fixing bacteria. These make atmospheric nitrogen available to feed the plant and enrich the soil.
Benefits to wildlife are also indicated with orange icons in the plant profile bar at the top.
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