''Galega'', goat's rue, is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

s in the

legume Legumes are plants in the pea family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae), or the fruit or seeds of such plants. When used as a dry grain for human consumption, the seeds are also called pulses. Legumes are grown agriculturally, primarily for human consum ...

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

, Fabaceae,

native Native may refer to: People * '' Jus sanguinis'', nationality by blood * '' Jus soli'', nationality by location of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Nat ...

to central and southern Europe, western Asia and tropical east Africa. They are tall, bushy,

herbaceous Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition of ...

perennial In horticulture, the term perennial ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. It has thus been defined as a plant that lives more than 2 years. The term is also ...

s with erect racemes of pea-like flowers in shades of white, pink, blue or mauve. Their preferred habitats are sunny damp meadows or slopes. The species ''

Galega officinalis ''Galega officinalis'', commonly known as galega or goat's-rue, is a herbaceous plant in the subfamily Faboideae of the legume Family (biology), family Fabaceae. It is native species, native to parts of northern Africa, western Asia and Europe, ...

'' and '' Galega orientalis'' are familiar in cultivation. Numerous

cultivars A cultivar is a kind of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and which retains those traits when propagated. Methods used to propagate cultivars include division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue cult ...

and garden

hybrid Hybrid may refer to: Science * Hybrid (biology), an offspring resulting from cross-breeding ** Hybrid grape, grape varieties produced by cross-breeding two ''Vitis'' species ** Hybridity, the property of a hybrid plant which is a union of two diff ...

s have also been produced, of which ''G.'' × ''hartlandii'' 'Lady Wilson' (bicoloured blue and white) and the white-flowered ''G.'' × ''hartlandii'' 'Alba' have both gained the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr ...

Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. It includes the full range of cultivated p ...

. There are 6González‐Andrés, F., et al. (2004)
Management of ''Galega officinalis'' L. and preliminary results on its potential for milk production improvement in sheep.
''New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research'' 47(2) 233-45. to 8Balezentiene, L. Introduction and agro economical value of ''Galega orientalis'' Lam. 3rd International Symposium on Weeds and Invasive Plants. Ancona, Switzerland. October 2–7, 2011. species in the genus. Eight species are accepted: *''

Galega africana ''Galega'', goat's rue, is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family, Fabaceae, native to central and southern Europe, western Asia and tropical east Africa. They are tall, bushy, herbaceous perennials with erect racemes of pea-like flower ...

'' *''

Galega assyriaca ''Galega'', goat's rue, is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family, Fabaceae, native to central and southern Europe, western Asia and tropical east Africa. They are tall, bushy, herbaceous perennials with erect racemes of pea-like flower ...

'' *''

Galega battiscombei ''Galega'', goat's rue, is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family, Fabaceae, native to central and southern Europe, western Asia and tropical east Africa. They are tall, bushy, herbaceous perennials with erect racemes of pea-like flower ...

'' *''

Galega cirujanoi ''Galega'', goat's rue, is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family, Fabaceae, native to central and southern Europe, western Asia and tropical east Africa. They are tall, bushy, herbaceous perennials with erect racemes of pea-like flower ...

'' *''

Galega lindblomii ''Galega'', goat's rue, is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family, Fabaceae, native to central and southern Europe, western Asia and tropical east Africa. They are tall, bushy, herbaceous perennials with erect racemes of pea-like flower ...

'' *''

'' - goat's rue, professor-weed *'' Galega orientalis'' - fodder galega *''

Galega somalensis ''Galega'', goat's rue, is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family, Fabaceae, native to central and southern Europe, western Asia and tropical east Africa. They are tall, bushy, herbaceous perennials with erect racemes of pea-like flower ...

References

{{Authority control Galegeae Fabaceae genera Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus