Note from the Author: New wild plant!
Common Name: Goat’s Rue
Other Common Names: Catgut, Devil’s Shoestring, Hoary Pea, North American Turkey Pea, Virginia Goat’s Rue, Virginia Tephrosia, Rabbit Pea and, Wild Sweetpea.
Botanical Family: Fabaceae (The Pea/Bean Family)
Botanical Latin Name: Tephrosia virginiana
Prior Botanical Latin Names: Cracca latidens, Cracca viginiana, Tephrosia latidens, Tephrosia virginiana variety glabra, Tephrosia virginiana var. holosericea
Description & Habitat:
Goat’s Rue is a native perennial plant in the Fabaceae family that can be found in the wild in most states in the USA with the noted exception of Hawaii. In terms of the continental USA, Goats rue is known to be hardy in USDA zones 3a through 9b, and the specimens photographed were found in zone 8b. Goat’s Rue prefers sandy acidic soil with a range of 4.5 to 6.0 being noted in a number of places online. Where we found it on the Fort Liberty Tour was in dry sandy location in full sun. There were entire colonies of the plant which had just started to bloom in April. The flowers are bright pink and buttercream yellow but by wild Pea family standards they are fairly large as each was about an inch across. Individual plants can gro up to two feet tall with a spread ranging from about eight inches to a foot and a half. Goat’s Rue has a mounding sort of habit and its leaves are borne alternately on the lightly hairy stems. The flowers are about the only part of this plant that lacks light fuzz. Although the specimens photographed for this post are seen in full sun conditions it is known that these plants will tolerate partial shade and deep shade as well as a sandy loam soil just as long as the pH is in the aforementioned range. Some references mention that Goat’s Rue seeds will not germinate unless the substrate is in the acidic pH range. Because it is a member of the Pea family it can be assumed that this plant helps fix nitrogen in the soil which given its favoritism for sandy acidic soils (6.0) means that it could be used as a colonizer plant to convert soils over time. Additionally Goat’s Rue is a host plant for the larva for at least two native species of butterfly and its flowers provide a fair amount of nectar and pollen for a variety of pollinators. The two strangest common names for this plant are ‘Catgut’ and ‘Devil’s Shoestring’, these two strange names likely originates from the fact that Goat’s Rue has long stringy roots. Though how anyone thought this resembled the guts of a cat specifically is beyond me. I have to note here, that the name Goat’s Rue itself comes from the mistaken belief that goats that eat this plant produce more milk. The problem is that the Rotenone passes though the goat’s milk and that is a problem for the end user.
Special Toxicity Note:
This plant is toxic, all parts contain Rotenone, which is dangerous to People, Pets and Livestock. Rotenone is toxic enough that at one point in history this plant’s stems were crushed and used to poison fish.
When & What to Harvest:
Do not harvest this plant for food.
Related Plants:
None are known.
Recipe:
This plant is not edible.
Additional Information: (If applicable)
https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/tephrosia-virginiana/
Where to get Seed or Bare Root Plants:
https://www.prairiemoon.com/tephrosia-virginiana-goats-rue
With all that garden goodness covered this is the part of the blog where I have to advertise for the Fayetteville City Market. Now I know you readers probably don’t much like advertisements, but my booth at the City Market helps to cover the costs of running the test garden and literally maintains the Research & Development budget that is used to bring you the information that has made up the backbone of this blog. In addition to being able to process card payments we now take CashApp payments so your payment options for my product have tripled. With that said; if you want to get some GMO-free, Organic fruit, herbs, flowers and perennials, come on down to the Fayetteville City Market on 325 Maxwell Street in downtown Fayetteville between the hours of 9:00 am and 1:00 pm on Saturdays. Even in bad weather the market goes on though you might have to look for me under the ‘arches’ of the Transportation Museum’s front entryway.
Herbs
Basil, Sweet Genovese
Oregano
Prickly Pear, Spineless
Sage, Common
Thyme, English
Summer Plants
Anise-Hyssop, Arizona Sandstone
Balloon Flower
Black Eyed Susan, Denver Daisy
Calibrachoa, Caliburst
Coneflower, Pow Wow White
Cotton, Nankeen
Dahlia, Figaro Mix
Madagascar Periwinkle, Tattoo Blueberry
Tobacco Flower, Saratoga Purple Bicolor
Garden Supply
Live Mushroom Compost, 1 Gallon
Live Mushroom Compost, 3 Gallon
Plants Coming Soon:
-Others TBA-
How to stay in Contact with Us!
All you need to keep up with all our activities is to have a Nextdoor account and to look for the ‘Sustainable Neighbors of Fayetteville’ group and ask to join! You don’t have to live in Fayetteville to join us! Feel free to ask all your garden questions of our knowledgeable membership and post your cool garden pictures.
Sustainable Neighbors of Fayetteville
Also please take a gander at the YouTube version of this blog:
The Videos: Look Here
>Newest videos (1): Sweet Potato Vine Tubers (Short Video)
With all of the updates, blog posts, community announcements and the main topic handled remember that Sustainable Neighbors of Fayetteville’s meetings are still going on! Our next (unofficial) meeting is June 20th at the Fayetteville City Market at 325 Franklin Street between 9:00 am and 1:00 pm, or at North South Brewing on the same day between 1:00 and 5:00pm.
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