Galega officinalis |
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common goat's-rue, French lilac, galéga officinal, goat's rue, professor-weed |
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Stems | clumped from caudex, 40–140 cm. |
Leaves | (6–)8–20 × (3–)6–10 cm; stipules opposite petiole, base sagittate, margins toothed; leaflet blades linear-elliptic, (15–)30–50 × 25–18 mm, apex mucronate. |
Pedicels | reflexed at anthesis, erect in fruit, 2–4.5 mm, glabrous. |
Flowers | calyx campanulate, subactinomorphic, tube 2–2.5 mm, 10-veined, glabrous, teeth subequal, puberulent or glabrous; banner shallowly lobed, wings equal or subequal to keel, keel 7–11 mm, apex blunt. |
Legumes | ascending, light green, shallowly torulose with constrictions between seeds, sutures prominent, 25–45 × 2–3 mm. |
2n | = 16. |
Galega officinalis |
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Phenology | Flowering early spring–late summer. |
Habitat | Disturbed sites. |
Elevation | 10–1500 m. (0–4900 ft.) |
Distribution |
CO; CT; DC; FL; ID; IN; MA; ME; NE; NY; OH; OR; PA; UT; WA; WV; ON; QC; Eurasia [Introduced in North America; introduced also in s South America, Pacific Islands (New Zealand), Australia]
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Discussion | Galega officinalis was introduced as a forage plant in northern Utah during the early twentieth century by a professor at the Utah Agricultural College. The species quickly became weedy in agricultural sites and it was given the local name professor weed; it has become a noxious weed in most of its range in North America. The plants contain toxic alkaloids. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 11. |
Parent taxa | Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Galega |
Name authority | Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 714. (1753) |
Web links |
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