Galega officinalis
This rather bushy perennial has pink or white peaflowers, or most often a combination of the two. The flowers are on long-stalked spikes. The leaves are pinnate.
It flowers July to September, and it can sometimes cover whole areas in fields. It is also found on damp road verges and railway embankments, river or stream banks, ditches and waste ground. Introduced from the Middle East and cultivated in the 16th century, now naturalised. Widespread and common in central and southern England, scarcer or absent elsewhere.
Goat’s-rue has been known to help reduce symptoms of diabetes by lowering blood sugars since the Middle Ages.
Goat’s-rue (Galega officinalis). Nature reserve, Staffordshire, England. July 2013.
Nature Journeys 