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Common Rue

Ruta graveolens

Found in cultivated in gardens as a medicinal herb, persistent and rarely escaping, sometimes locally abundant in pastures over limestone or gravelly floodplains. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Northern Tier edition What its natural habitat tells you

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Not native

Not native to West Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 82%

Height
2–3 feet
Spread
2–3 feet
Light
Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture
Dry to average
See native alternatives

Plant this instead

Choose your county to list local plants first.

  • Cranberry
    Vaccinium macrocarpon

    Sun: Full sun, Partial shade. Soil: Usually moist. Flowers: Pink or white.

    Similar growth form, height, spread

  • Sheep Laurel
    Kalmia angustifolia

    Sun: Full sun. Soil: Somewhat dry to moist. Flowers: Pink, purple or red.

    Similar growth form, height, evergreen or deciduous

  • St. Andrew's-cross
    Hypericum hypericoides

    Sun: Full sun, Partial shade. Soil: Somewhat dry to moist. Flowers: Yellow.

    Similar growth form, height, spread

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At a glance

Life cycle
Perennial
Leaves
Deciduous or evergreen
Bloom
May to August
Fruiting season
June to September

Recorded in 2 West Virginia counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 2

Floodplain and bottomland forests

Forests on low ground beside rivers and streams that flood from time to time.

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground

Ground opened by people: roadsides, old fields, pastures, fencerows and lots.

All habitats

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

2CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including WV

Genus host records with ranges including WV · Ruta

  • Papilio polyxenesBlack Swallowtail, Celery Caterpillar, Fennel Worm, Desert Black Swallowtail, Parsnip Swallowtail
  • Spoladea recurvalisHawaiian Beet Webworm
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
—BeesSoutheastern regional records
—Specialist beesPollen specialists
—BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim
Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Rutaceae
Hardiness
Zones 4a–10b
Soil pH
Acidic to alkaline
Flower color
Yellow
Fruit begins
June
Fruit ends
September

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope

Conservation status

West Virginia rankSNA
Global rankGNR
WV statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

Sources