Species

Galega officinalis

Etymology

Galega: From the Greek gala 'milk' and ago 'to lead', the plant being valued as a fodder for lactating cows and goats, hence the common name goat's rue
officinalis: From the Latin officina shortened from opificina which originally meant 'workshop' but later came to mean a monastic storeroom, herb-room or pharmacy. Refers to the plant's real or perceived medicinal value.

Common Name(s)

goat's rue

Family

Fabaceae

Flora Category

Vascular - Exotic

NVS Species Code

GALOFF

The National Vegetation Survey (NVS) Databank is a physical archive and electronic databank containing records of over 94,000 vegetation survey plots - including data from over 19,000 permanent plots. NVS maintains a standard set of species code abbreviations that correspond to standard scientific plant names from the Ngä Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plants database.

Structural Class

Dicotyledonous Herbs other than Composites

Habitat

The plant is able to tolerate severe frost. Invades flood prone land. The plant grows in pastures and on riverbanks.

Similar Taxa

The plant is a perennial growing to a metre high (Hilgendorf 1926). The plant is much branched and usually grows into dense clumps. The plant has pinnate leaves and lilac coloured flowers half an inch in length that are borne on spikes approximately 30 cm long. The seeds are hard, heavy, small and oval and are enclosed in pods similar to that of a pea.

Flower Colours

Violet / Purple,White

Year Naturalised

1906

Origin

Europe, Asia Minor, C. and S. Russia, W. Asia

Reason For Introduction
Accidental

Seed
The seeds are able to retain their viability for more than a year under water. Abundant seed is produced - approximately 50 000 seeds per year.

Dispersal
The seed is dispersed by gravel movement and water. The plant is dispersed by machinery and road metal transport (Ogle 1997). The plant is shed by explosion. The plant is spread by water movements and in river metal found in pastures and river beds.

Tolerances
When damaged, the plant has the ability to regrow.

This page last updated on 24 Apr 2010