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Ruta
Rue
Appears in
Published 1986
A beautiful small shrub with fine-cut leaves, bluish. Called ‘herb of grace’, I discovered, because the seeds when developed are deeply incised in the form of a cross.
Rue grows wild in Apulia; in gardens it has an overpowering smell. Strangely enough, it belongs to the same plant family as the orange and other citrus fruits. A sprig of rue put in a bottle of grappa (p 223) improves the taste and reduces the alcohol’s effect on the heart.