RUE: any info about this plant?

I bought a pot of Rue yesterday, intending to put it in a hanging basket with other herbs. However, I'm having second thoughts. The nursery lady said it would be OK in the basket but the little stick in the pot says 1) it's a 'shrub' and 2) it's "severely toxic to skin in sunlight". I don't know what the heck that last bit means. But if it's going to get 2' tall, I probably should not put it in a basket? I'd love to hear anything about this plant. It sure is pretty!

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/188236/

ruta graveolens?

I'm assuming we're talking about Ruta graveolens, which is the rue I've grown in the past. I handled it with bare hands and had no problem, but maybe someone else has had an allergic reaction. Rue is not hardy in my current Zone, but I grew it in Zone 6, where it behaved as a sub-shrub, making upright, woody stems but being cut back to the ground by frost. It grew best in full sun, in well drained soil.

I get photodermatitis from rue. Especially if the plant touches my forearms. I still grow it, but am careful not to brush up against it while weeding around it. In my zone 5 garden it is semi-hardy, meaning a very cold winter (like this past one) will kill off my rue. It is also known as "herb-of-grace" as branches of the delicate blue-green foliage was once used to sprinkle holy water.

I grow rue and have no problems touching it, but I'm also not sensitive to poison ivy. A bit of folklore - the seed pods are reportedly used for wart removal.

Yes, it is the Ruta graveolens. Sorry about that. I left it out of the basket and stuck it in a pot all by itself. I thought I'd put it where it would get some morning sun and shade in the afternoon till it gets big enough to put in the ground. Assuming it lives...

Does anyone actually use any part of the plant in tea or cooking? I read somewhere that Italians use the leaves in salads. I tasted one and it is b-i-t-t-e-r!

I believe the current info is usually that it should not be used as an edible herb. Does anyone have info to the contrary? I just have them as butterfly host plants (occasionally used by the Giant Swallowtail or Black Swallowtail). They can eventually get to small shrub size. Mine flower and make seeds by this this time of year. The first few I bought at nurseries and planted in the ground. Trouble was, they would die after a little while even though well cared for. Then I got a few small ones from a gardener in another part of Texas in a trade. Planted them and they have flouished for several years! Don't know what the difference was...care was exactly the same as far as I know.

I grow it for the butterflies too. Not to mention the pretty blue foliage. Up north it stays pretty contained, dying back each year. I would imagine it is quite the shrub in more mild climates.

It is in full bloom right now here.

I also have a Rue plant so I did a little research online and this is what I came up with. Rue dates back to the middle ages where it was used to purge the digestive system, sometimes causing death by poisioning. It was also used to cause spontaneous abortions. Some people are very sensitive to it and what I read recommended that pregnant women should stay well away from it. Mine is like a miniture tree and does well in partial to full sun in zone 8.

Thanks for all the info. I stuck it in a pot and put it in dappled shade for now. It just looked so small and tender that I was afraid to stick it in the ground till it gets bigger. (Also afraid I might forget to water it!) I love butterfly plants so I'll be encouraging this plant to grow. The foliage is what really drew me to it; the color and shape is beautiful. Anyone have a pic of a big rue? Brandie21, you're pretty close, zone-wise; I'd love to see yours.

Rue is common herbal seasoning in many parts of the Mediterranean and is also used as a tea for intestinal cramping (it's a digestive). It is often used for flavouring bitters and liquors. In Ethiopia they add it to coffee, much like chicory is mixed with coffee here.

The general caution is that rue should not be used by pregnant women as it can trigger a miscarriage. This plant can cause uterine contractions. Women from cultures that regularly consume rue may still eat it while pregnant, but one needs to assume that are culturally acclimated to the plant as part of their diet. Certainly not worth the risk if you are new to the plant.

We had an old man visit our community garden herb garden and get very excited when he saw the rue plant. One of our plot holders was able to translate. It appears that this gentleman had had problems with intestinal cramping since he was a young man. His mother would make a rue tea for him that eliminated the intestinal problems. When he came to the US from Mexico, he could not find the same plant. He didn't know the English or botanical name. None of the pharma medicines were helping him. We gave him rue plant to take home. He was thrilled and finally found relief again.

We also have a plotholder from Jordan who uses rue to cook lamb and other meats.

http://www.recipetips.com/glossary-term/t--34103/rue.asp

The plant is bitter in taste, so it is used in small quantities in a recipe and is often paired with acidic foods like tomato, olives and capers. Many old German recipes call for chopped rue leaves.

Unfortunately many cooks who submit recipes mispell "roux" as "rue" when giving directions for thickening a sauce, so a google search does not pull up many recipes using the actual herb of rue. I'll check my old cookbooks and ask around and see if I can get a sampling of uses from the folks who cook with it fairly regulary.


Here is one example:

On the skin sensitivity ~ one of my herbal books says

Just revisiting this thread. Two days after your post, podster, my daughter severed her quadricep tendon in a freak accident. I've been home less than a week now and I'm catching up. The rue looks terrible! It was probably overwatered in my absence but I think the ridiculously high temps are likely the most to blame. I bought the plant thinking it was an herb I'd use, but after all the info, I'd pretty much decided that it would be an ornamental. It is a beautiful plant.

And the big basket? By the time this horrendous summer is over, I *might* have some basil left in it. The lemon verbena croaked first, the oregano is crisping up and even the thyme is running out. I am trying hard to remember why I haven't moved from Hades to somewhere better suited to gardening!

LOL ~

Check this out: http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?site=PSR&llon=-112.701247&rlon=-111.478747&tlat=34.179584&blat=32.959584&smap=1&mp=0&map.x=137&map.y=145 And that Chamber of Commerce drivel about "dry heat"? That's right; it's just drivel. Check the humidity and dewpoint. Pair that with the heat and you have a sauna.

Ugh! That IS grim. Too much irrigation, water fountains, pools... In the 70s it was a dry heat. I never had a/c in my ride and always came home for lunch in the heat of the day. Not bad if you could catch a breeze and some shade.

I like that link. Thanks for sharing. Today our temp is 95° with 79% humidity ~ is that what is called "relative"??? Amazingly our heat index is only 2° under your heat index. Looking forward to August?