Kansas Wildflowers and Grasses

GOAT'S RUE

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Tephrosia virginiana (L. ) Pers.

Ottawa County, Kansas

Perennial

Height: 8-28 inches

Family: Fabaceae - Bean Family

Flowering Period: June, July

Also Called:

Virginia tephrosia, catgut.

Stems:

Erect, 1 to several, mostly unbranched, hairy.

Leaves:

Alternate, short-stalked, odd-pinnately compound, 2 to 6 inches long; leaflets 7-31, elliptic to linear-oblong, .5 to 1.25 inch long, to 1/3 inch wide, short-hairy or glabrous above, long-hairy below; margins entire; tips with short, abrupt points.

Inflorescences:

Racemes, pyramid-shaped, 1 to 4 inches long, mostly terminal.

Flowers:

Calyces bell-shaped, densely silky; corollas papilionaceous, to 3/4 inch long, banner lemon yellow outside, white within, wings and keel rose or pink, all petals fading brownish; stamens 10, filaments united.

Fruits:

Pods, 1 to 2 inch long, flattened, slightly curved, sparsely velvety; seeds 6-11, kidney-shaped, dark spotted.

Habitat:

Prairies, roadsides, and open woodlands, most abundant in sandy soils.

Distribution:

East half of Kansas.

Forage Value:

Virginia tephrosia is nutritious and palatable to livestock. It disappears in grazed areas but increases rapidly on summer-rested rangeland. Bobwhite quail and wild turkey consume the seeds.

Uses:

This plant was used medicinally by Native Americans to treat rheumatism, pulmonary problems, and hair loss. The roots contain rotenone, which has insecticidal properties. Folklore describes making a tea of goat's rue and pouring it on other plants to kill bugs.

Goat's rue flower