Ruta chalepensis
Species of plant
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ruta chalepensis is a species of flowering plant in the Rutaceae family known by the common name fringed rue.[1] It is native to the Mediterranean and is found elsewhere as an introduced species.[2] It is a perennial herb growing up to 80 centimeters tall. The leaves are compound, each divided into several segments which are subdivided into smaller leaflets. The inflorescence is a cluster of flowers, each with four or five bright yellow petals with rolled, fringed edges. The fruit is a textured capsule which is divided into pointed lobes.
| Ruta chalepensis | |
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Sapindales |
| Family: | Rutaceae |
| Genus: | Ruta |
| Species: | R. chalepensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Ruta chalepensis | |
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In traditional herbal medicine, the plant is used for a number of ailments, such as fever and inflammation.[3]
R. chalepensis is the original source of the chemical compound chalepensin.[4]
Culinary
R. chalepensis is an introduced species in Ethiopia, where it is cultivated in gardens in almost every province of the country and used as a culinary herb. The seeds are used to flavour wats and the leaves as a condiment in coffee and tea.[5] Called Tena adam (Adam's health) in Amharic, it is used in the Ethiopian coffee ceremony.[6] Its dried fruit are marketed as a spice in Western countries, often under the name "passion berries" since the odour is said to resemble passion fruit.[7][8][9]
