Ruta angustifolia Pers.
R. chalepensis subsp. angustifolia (Pers.) Cout.
Eng.: Rue. Spa.: Ruda borde, ruda menor, rua. Fre.: Rue à feuilles étroites. Ara.: Fidjla, fidjel, bu r’anes, chedab, sedab, sadad, sandab, rutsa. Tam.: Aurmi, issin, zen, djell, issel.
Subshrub, hermaphrodite, 0.4-0.8(1.5) m in height, very smelly, with erect stems, relatively slender, slightly branched, with greyish bark, somewhat fissured in older and thicker portions of the base. Younger branches greyish, somewhat puberulent-glandular. Leaves alternate, pinnate, with narrow segments (1-4 mm, where the name “angustifolia” comes from), from lanceolate to oblong-obovate, from light greyish to glaucous, glabrous or somewhat puberulent-glandular, with characteristic clear puncta that are evident against the light, which are small sacs of very fragrant essence (the characteristic smell of rue, intense and unmistakable). Inflorescence terminal, puberulent-glandular; with linear bracts, up to 1 mm wide, same width or narrower than the axillary branches. Flowers yellow, usually tetramerous, but sometimes with a pentamerous terminal flower; petals with fimbriate margin (resembling long hairs). Stamens double the number of petals. Fruit a relatively large oval capsule (5-12 mm long), with very acuminate valves, dehiscent. 2n = 36 (40).
Flowering:
March to July.
Fruiting:
May to August.
Habitat:
Open forests, thickets and rocky outcrops, on very diverse terrains, carbonate and silicate; in relatively warm environments, from semiarid to subhumid; from sea level to about 1,000-1,500 m in altitude.
Distribution:
Mediterranean region. In North Africa it is found mainly in the Mediterranean region of Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia.
Conservation status:
Common and widespread species. Currently, it is has not been assessed at a global level in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. In the Livre Rouge de la flore vasculaire du Maroc (Fennane, 2021) it has been considered as Least Concern (LC).