Tephrosia virginiana (L.) Pers.

Virginia Goat's Rue; Rabbit's Pea

Herb

Perennial

Vascular

Goat's Rue is a native herbaceous perennial in the Bean family (Fabaceae). It occurs throughout Alabama. Goat's Rue occurs in pine woodlands, in dry hardwood forests, on roadside banks, in sand hills, and in rocky woods. It is a perennial with a taproot. Usually several stems are produced from each root crown. The stems are 1-2 feet tall, unbranched, green in color, and pubescent. The leaves are alternate, petiolate, and odd-pinnate with 15-25 leaflets. The leaflets are elliptic to linear in outline, with entire margins, and glabrous to densely pubescent. Flowers are produced in terminal racemes. The tubular calyx is 5 lobed. Individual flowers are papilionaceous. The banner petal is creamy white or yellowish in color and the banner and keel petals are rosy-pink in color. The fruit is a pubescent, flattened legume with 5-9 seed. Because of its long taproot, Goat’s Rue is not usually available as nursery plants. It can be grown from seed, which are available from some seed companies. The plants prefer a well-draining soil in full sun. Goat's Rue is difficult to transplant, so seed should be sown directly in the garden where they will grow. It is drought tolerant and resistant to deer. Goat’s Rue contains rotenone and tephrosin which are toxic if consumed.--A. Diamond

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Native

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