Wikimedia Commons
Rutaceae
Rue
Ruta graveolens
Regret and grace.
- Family
- Rutaceae
- Genus
- Ruta
- Native to
- Southern Europe, Mediterranean region
- Bloom season
- Summer
- Type
- perennial
- Height
- 18-30 in
- Sunlight
- full sun
- Soil
- well-drained, alkaline, poor
- Water
- low
- Hardiness
- 4-9
- Lifespan
- perennial
Did you know
- Shakespeare associated it with repentance; in Richard III, it is called the 'herb of grace' in 'sour' soil.
- Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci reportedly consumed rue to preserve their eyesight and enhance creativity.
- The suit of clubs in playing cards was originally modeled after the three-lobed leaf of the rue plant.
- Its strong, bitter scent was used in medieval courtrooms, where judges placed bunches on the bench to ward off jail fever.
- Contact with rue sap in sunlight can cause severe skin burns through a reaction called phytophotodermatitis.
Color meanings
0
regret
1
grace
2
clear vision