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RUE
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Rue, the common name of the genus Ruta of perennial herbs, comprises 40 species of plants that originate in southern Europe. The rue family, Rutaceae, also includes such citruses as orange and lemon trees and such trees as satinwood, which yields timber used in cabinetry.
Common rue, or herb of grace, R. graveolens, a shrublike herb, has a woody base and aromatic blue green leaves that are evergreen in warmer climates. It bears yellow flowers and fruit consisting of capsules divided into four or five lobes. During earlier centuries, it was believed to cure such maladies as poisoning and gout; today it is used to flavor an alcoholic beverage of northern Italy known as grappa.
Goat's rue, Galega officinales, a perennial herb of the legume family, Leguminosae, is grown as an ornamental shrub and is also cultivated for animal feed. Meadow rue is the common name for the genus Thalictrum, also perennial herbs.
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