Galega officinalis
Common names
goat’s rue
Biostatus
Exotic
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Herbs - Dicotyledons other than Composites
Flower colours
Violet/Purple, White
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.
Habitat
The plant is able to tolerate severe frost. Invades flood prone land. The plant grows in pastures and on riverbanks.
Conservation status
Not applicable
Detailed taxonomy
Family
Fabaceae
Ecology
Year naturalised
1906
Origin
Europe, Asia Minor, C. and S. Russia, W. Asia
Reason for introduction
Accidental
Tolerances
When damaged, the plant has the ability to regrow.
Life cycle
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. 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.
Wetland plant indicator status rating
Information derived from the revised national wetland plant list prepared to assist councils in delineating and monitoring wetlands (Clarkson et al., 2021 Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research Contract Report LC3975 for Hawke’s Bay Regional Council). The national plant list categorises plants by the extent to which they are found in wetlands and not ‘drylands’. The indicator status ratings are OBL (obligate wetland), FACW (facultative wetland), FAC (facultative), FACU (facultative upland), and UPL (obligate upland). If you have suggestions for the Wetland Indicator Status Rating, please contact: [Enable JavaScript to view protected content]
UPL: Obligate Upland
Rarely is a hydrophyte, almost always in uplands (non-wetlands).
Other information
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.
NVS code
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.
GALOFF