The common names tell its history. Goat's Rue was fed to goats to increase milk production. It is no longer used as a feed for goats due to it containing rotenone which is now used as a pesticide. It is also used as fish poison, which is produced by pounding the roots. Another common name, Devil's Shoestring, refers to its long stringy roots. This member of the pea family has upright to sprawling stems. It is native to dry, open woods, and best grown from seed as its deep root system makes dividing and transplanting rarely successful. The flowers resemble bi-colored sweet pea, lemon-yellow to rose. Its upper petals and pale yellow, while the lower petals are pink. It begins to bloom in the spring and continues into the summer. After the flowers have bloomed, seed pods are formed. They can reach lengths of 3". Growing this plant will add nitrogen to your soil. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: Toxic to insects and fish.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Deep shade (Less than 2 hours to no direct sunlight) | Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Occasionally Dry
Available space
12 inches-3 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 1 ft. 0 in. - 2 ft. 0 in. | Width: 0 ft. 9 in. - 1 ft. 6 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (1-3 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Mounding
Texture
Medium
Leaf color
Gray/Silver; Green
Leaf type
Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Oblong
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Hairs present
Yes
Leaf detail
The green/gray-green leaves have 8 to 15 pairs of leaflets. They are covered with soft white hairs that give them a silvery tone. The underside has more hair than the upper leaf.
Flower color
Gold/Yellow; Pink
Flower value
Showy
Flower form
Raceme
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
The 0.75 in. flowers have a yellow standard petal often flushed with pink and a rose-pink keel. They bloom in clusters from May to June.
Bloom time
Spring; Summer
Fruit color
Brown/Copper; Green
Fruit size
1-3 inches long, < 1 inch wide
Fruit detail
The seedpods replace the flowers. Starting out green, they will turn brown. Displays from July to October.
Stem color
Green
Stem detail
Like the foliage, the upright, sprawling stems are covered with soft white hairs that give them a silvery tone.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
Eastern Us and Canada
Distribution
AL, AR, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, KA, MA, MD, MI, MN, MO, MS, BC, NE, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, VA, WI, WV
Wildlife value
This plant supports Southern Cloudywing (Thorybes bathyllus) larvae, which has two broods (possibly three) from June-early October, and Northern Cloudywing (Thorybes pylades) larvae, which broods a little earlier than May-July. The adults of these butterflies feed on the nectar of blue, purple, pink, or white flowers from a variety of species. Attracts butterflies, bees, moths, and birds.