Rue
Ruta graveolens
Rutaceae, Rue Family
“Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone…”
Luke 11:42 NIV
Rue is not included in the devotions of God's Word for Gardeners Bible. However, Matthew 23:23 echoes the similar sentiments of this passage in Luke, calling out herb tithings as meaningless offerings apart from the essence of the law: justice, mercy, faithfulness, love. See "A Gardener's Clue," page 1112
Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees, to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people, making widows their prey and robbing the fatherless. What will you do on the day of reckoning, when disaster comes from afar?
Isaiah 10:1-3 NIV
Cultural Information
| Type | Perennial to cold hardiness zone 4 |
| Height | 18 to 24 inches |
| Soil | average, well-drained recommended |
| Exposure | full sun |
| Leaves | green-blue, symmetrically-lobed, rounded leaflets with a lush, frilly appearance, forming a mounded, low-growing shrub |
| Flowers | bold yellow, clustered flowers; individual flowers have four tiny petals surrounding a central, green, beady tuft; blooms in late spring |
Planting Tips
- rue is best grown as an ornamental evergreen
- situate plants to let their gentle, lush foliage infill among borders of flowers and herbs
- keep the plants toward the back of beds, away from walkways, as their leaves contain compounds that can cause skin rashes and blisters when brushed in sunlight
- transplant from 4” pots, grow from seed, or root from cuttings; rue is easily propagated
- it is recommended to separate rue plantings from mint family herbs—like basil and sage; compounds in rue may inhibit growth in these leafy species
- cut back flowers soon after they appear to keep energies directed in foliage fullness
- rue pairs beautifully with Artemisia varieties, both plants having similar forms and complimentary blue-grey-green coloring
- it is best to wear gloves when working with rue
- Ruta chalepensis is a wild species of rue native to the Mediterranean region, very similar in habit and appearance to R. graveolens, which may alternately have been the plant Jesus referred to
Garden to Table
- stalks make excellent cut greenery, handled with gloves and tucked among arranged flowers to avoid direct skin contact
- flowers cut from shrubs in late spring look bright and cheery indoors in vases
- rue has a history of culinary and medicinal uses, though few recipes call for the plant’s bitter leaves in modern cooking
- in general, leaves should be added near the end of simmering or sauteeing for flavorful oils to be released, then leaves should be removed for serving (similar to bay leaf)
- use sparingly until you understand the savor and palate of this herb, it is reportedly bitter and overpowering in larger amounts
- spring leaves sprouted before flowering yield the best flavor
More Research
See Blog Posts on RueWhile devotions in God’s Word for Gardeners Bible do not focus on Luke 11:42 and the mention of rue, a similar situation in the book of Jude relates to the essence of Jesus’ rebuke: Jude was similarly excited and uplifted by the faith he shared with his fellow followers of Jesus Christ, yet he felt compelled instead to write about the reality of the fight they were enduring, contending for the faith (verse 3). How he wanted to ensure that the mercy, peace and love given through their salvation would remain pure, a manifestation of having the Spirit (verse 19). So he boldly talked of destruction for those who did not believe (verse 5). Well, some respond to the carrot, others to the stick.
-from the NIV God's Word for Gardeners Bible
Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees, to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people, making widows their prey and robbing the fatherless. What will you do on the day of reckoning, when disaster comes from afar?
Isaiah 10:1-3 NIV
Photo Credits
©2020 Cultivar413, Flickr Creative Commons Rue flowers blooming at Alta Vista Botanical Gardens, at the entrance to the Sharon Kern Culinary Herb Garden
©2020 Shelley S. Cramm rue transplanted in a Texas garden
c. 1832 from Medical Botany, 3rd edition, by W. Woodville, W.J. Hooker, and G. Spratt
Rockrose