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Goat's Rue (Galega
officinalis) in the Niagara Area
of Western New York State |
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GOAT'S
RUE (GALEGA OFFICINALIS) IN
THE by P. M. Eckel Biodiversity
usually calls to mind quiet forests packed with wildlife of all kinds, and
descriptions waiting to be appreciated and understood by interested people.
The term also can refer to the bewildering biological changes in the fauna
and flora of a region suffering intense disturbances, both by development,
new human settlement and migration, and by a climate that is changing to the
warm side, as is the case with the settled region surrounding the City of
Buffalo. Galega officinalis L., whose common name is Goat's
Rue, was recently found growing near the factory outlet mall in Niagara Falls
(voucher specimen deposited in BUF, the Clinton Herbarium of the Buffalo
Museum of Science). The plants the plant's attractive tall spires of
lovely flowers, white and lavender on different plants are conspicuous. The
species has not yet been described for the Niagara Frontier Region, although
known to the State. The plant has hitherto been thought not to survive New
York State winters, but with the growing season extended during the past
decade and the mitigation of winter cold, this species has somehow survived
in western New York for at least two winters. Many new
plant introductions are harmless and unwittingly beautify the waste areas of
our cities, but some new plants spread explosively. If examples of literature
relating to this lovely and robust plant of the pea family applies to
conditions in our region, this newly discovered plant, found only one mile
from the Niagara River, may threaten to overwhelm the riverside, much like
the now infamous invader Lythrum
salicaria L., Purple Loosestrife. The plant will be studied more closely
in the future to see whether it could ultimately threaten the shore-side
ecosystems of public lands such as at Buckhorn Island State Park, the Niagara
Reservation and even the Buffalo Museum of Science's Tifft Nature Preserve on
the Buffalo waterfront. As the common name implies, the plant is poisonous if
eaten in large quantity, possibly affecting local deer populations if not
eradicated, since it seems to cause suffering even in the omnivorous
goat! One of
the oldest research initiatives of the Buffalo Society of Natural Sciences is
its continued interest in the flora of an area within a 50-mile radius of the
City of Buffalo, an area which includes the Niagara Peninsula of the Province
of Ontario. This tradition was begun by Superior Court Judge and first BSNS
president George Clinton when he published a list of the plants growing in
this area in 1863. In 1934, Charles Zenkert summarized subsequent botanical
efforts by professionals and lay people in his well-regarded Flora of the
Niagara Frontier Region, and the Museum has published updates of the flora,
notably in 1979 with the list by Richard Zander and Gary Pierce. P. M. Eckel,
currently Research Fellow in the Botany Division, has undertaken to provide
the most recent revision of this important body of information, a new annotated
checklist of the floral region, including scores of new records published
since 1979, several of which include her own discoveries, such as the two
species found while walking to the Museum from her home on Humboldt Parkway
this year (2000): (click
here). The
Eurasian Galega officinalis L. is a
species of the pea family new to the Buffalo region. It is known to rarely
occur in New York State, but up to now was considered unable to withstand our
winters and populations would die back every year. A
LETTER TO A WESTERN NEW YORK CITIZEN WITH GOAT'S RUE ON HIS PROPERTY Dear
Sir: I have
done a little further research on the leafy plant found in the empty lot
beside your establishment and in the lot behind the businesses along Pine
Avenue adjacent to yours. I remember I had a little trouble remembering the
common name of the plant, whose scientific name is Galega officinalis L.: it is Goat's Rue. As both names imply, the
plant has been used for its medical properties, but its common name indicates
the plant can make a goat sick. The plant is in fact toxic to livestock if
enough is eaten. It seems to affect the milk and may be more strongly
poisonous to young animals. I say this in reference to your having
transplanted some of these plants to your property in the interests of
providing forage for White-Tailed Deer.
May I
suggest, after looking at the attached documents, that planting this species
on your land may be premature at this time.
The plant is known to develop large colonies, as you can observe in
the vacant lot next to your business, and takes years to get rid of. I suggest also that for the time being you
destroy the plants you have put on your property and any seedlings that may
develop next year until the issue whether these plants are toxic to White-Tailed
Deer is considered. Note that the plant is most toxic in the spring. As this
plant has never been observed growing in Niagara or Erie Counties before,
according to our records, this may be the only station established in the
region. The plant and issues associated with it need to be studied over the
winter to assess whether further steps should be taken to eradicate the
colony in the lot in order to prevent threats to the ecology of the nearby
Niagara River and the Canadian and American public parks on its shoreline and
the wildlife contained in them. It has
been a pleasure to share this information with you both before and at
present. If you
have any questions please feel free to contact us at the Museum. P. M.
Eckel |
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ILLUSTRATION OF
GOAT'S RUE (GALEGA OFFICINALIS) IN
COMPARISON WITH A SIMILAR SPECIES OF THE PEA FAMILY
PHOTOGRAPH OF THE
HERBARIUM SPECIMEN OF
GOAT'S RUE (GALEGA OFFICINALIS) AT THE
BUFFALO MUSEUM OF SCIENCE'S CLINTON HERBARIUM
