How to Grow and Care for Goat's rues

Galega officinalis, commonly referred to as goat's-rue, is a pale pink-flowered member of the pea family. This hardy, generalist species is originally from the Middle East, but it has spread across Eurasia and into New Zealand and North America. In the latter locations, goat's-rue is often considered a pesky invasive.

This species is a perennial herb with a taproot and rhizome system. It produces stems up to 2 meters tall which branch near the middle. The leaves are pinnate. The inflorescence bears up to 70 lilac-colored flowers, and some cultivars can produce more. The fruit pod is up to 4 cm long and contains up to 8 seeds each a few millimeters in length.

With young variegated leaves and moderately scented coconut flowers, the goat's rue 'Alba' is a sterile cultivar that does not self-seed. The plant bears white flowers on its spire. Friendly to beginning gardeners, the goat's rue 'Alba' is a clump-forming cultivar that blooms from summer to fall.