Tephrosia virginiana

Common Names

Goat's Rue, Catgut, Devil's Shoestring, Hoary Pea

Summary

Goat’s Rue (Tephrosia virginiana) is a perennial legume native to dry, sandy habitats of eastern North America. It grows about 0.6 m tall with erect, hairy stems and a deep taproot, and carries alternate, pinnately compound leaves with 12–24 leaflets that are gray-green and silky-hairy. From late spring to mid-summer, two-toned flowers—yellow on the standard with pink wings and keel—are produced in dense racemes, followed by long slender pods; nectar-rich flowers attract bees and butterflies, and the plant fixes nitrogen in the soil; it tolerates drought and full sun but does not tolerate shade. Cultivation and uses: best grown from seed since division or transplanting is often challenging, it requires full sun and well-drained sandy soil and tolerates dry conditions and poorer soils with minimal maintenance; useful in native plant and pollinator gardens, borders, and naturalized plantings, and serves as a host plant for butterfly and moth larvae while attracting pollinators; the roots contain rotenone, a toxin to insects and fish, and the plant is nitrogen-fixing.

Lifecycle

Perennial

Height

12-24 inches

Hardiness Zones

Zones 3-9

Sunlight Requirements

Ideally full Sun, tolerates Partial Shade.

Soil Type

Well-drained sandy soil

Soil Drainage

Well-drained soil

Soil pH

6.5, Acidic to neutral soils, Mildly acidic to mildly alkaline soils

Bloom Color

Yellow and Pink

Bloom Time

Spring through Fall

Foliage Color

Gray-green

Fall Foliage Color

Gray/SilverGreen

Leaf Lifecycle

Deciduous

Growth Rate

Medium

Seasons of Interest

Spring and Summer

Propagation Methods

Seeds, Division

Attracts Wildlife

Attracts bees, butterflies, other pollinators, and birds