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GOAT'S
RUE (GALEGA OFFICINALIS) IN
THE
NIAGARA AREA OF WESTERN
NEW YORK STATE
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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