Goat's Rue

Goat's Rue: variety and characteristics

Goat's Rue (Galega officinalis) is a perennial honey plant of the Fabaceae family. Goat's rue, also known as French lilac, is an ancient ornamental plant that has been widely cultivated as a fodder crop, a bee plant, a medicinal herb and an ornamental.

Goat's rue herb is used for mild forms of diabetes and to increase milk in nursing mothers. It should be remembered that the plant is poisonous and disrupts the intestinal microflora, causing dysbiosis.

Prolonged use may cause abdominal pain, diarrhoea and cholestatic jaundice. A metallic taste in the mouth may also appear.

Goat's rue is a bee-friendly plant with purple-and-white spikes.

Key features

• Measured germination rate of the batch: 85%
• Seeds per packet: 18–25 pcs (0.2 g)
• Seed origin: Hungary
• Sowing: March – May; direct
• Flowering: June – August
• Position: sunny spot

When to sow Goat's Rue

Goat's Rue seeds are sown in March – May. The plants flower in June – August. The months are a guide for a temperate climate — in warmer areas sow 1–2 weeks earlier, in cooler or upland areas, later.

How to sow and grow Goat's Rue

• Sowing method: direct
• Depth: 0.5–1 cm
• Spacing: 20–30 cm
• Germination: 10–20 days at 15–20 °C
• Position: sunny spot

The seeds are sown in spring. Soak the seeds for 12 hours in warm water before sowing. Seeds sown in spring may germinate slowly; a period of cold stratification can improve germination time. Once all risk of frost has passed, plant out at 30 cm. apart. Goat's rue is a hardy perennial that succeeds in most soils, even poor ones. It prefers full sun and moist soil, but will also thrive in light shade. The plant has smooth, grooved, upright branching stems and pinnate leaves. It can reach up to 150 cm. tall. This species flowers from summer to early autumn with upright flower spikes 15 cm long of lavender flowers. The usable part of goat's rue is the flowering tops. As with most plants, they should be harvested when goat's rue is in flower, which happens from June to August. In good growing conditions the plants self-seed.

Likes moist soil.

Flowering and uses

The above-ground part is harvested at flowering.

Frequently asked questions

When should Goat's Rue be sown?

The recommended sowing months are March – May. Sowing method: direct.

How many seeds are in the packet?

The packet contains 18–25 seeds, pack size 0.2 g.

What is the germination rate of the seeds?

The measured germination rate of this batch is 85%. The test was carried out under controlled laboratory conditions; in the field, emergence depends on soil, temperature and moisture.