So a few weeks ago I planted a bunch of Syrian Rue seeds in the hope I could grow the plant this year. About 9 days ago I noticed the first two sprouts and they looked normal, as far as I knew at least.

(Click for bigger versions)


But then as the first vegetative leaves came in, I noticed they looked distinctly 'non-harmala'. Again, to the best of my knowledge at least.



And there are many other seedlings beginning to sprout now as well (6 so far), most of them can be seen in the pics. Some of them still have the seed casing on the leaves.




So I'm almost positive that these are the Syrian Rue seeds growing. The soil was clean, straight from the bag, and there was a plastic bag over the pot up until the first seedlings showed up. It has only been sitting on my window-seal unless there is full sun outside for them to bask in.

Does anyone know if this leaf formation is normal for this plant? Did I grow some kind of hybrid harmala? My knowledge is very limited when it comes to this plant. Any help/conformation would be greatly appreciated.

Peace, and Love.

Yeah, that looks like Peganum harmala to me. On many plants the first vegetative leaves looks distinctively different than the actual vegetative leaves. With Mimosa hostilis, for example, it takes many leaf pairs before the normal leaves appear. Good luck with the growing! Remember that they enjoy very large space for their roots (they can get up to 9 meters down in the ground!), and that they don't enjoy much water at all. Treat it like a cactus.

Thanks for the info. I noticed they like being dry, I was surprised when I saw more seedlings pop up yesterday and today with absolutely no water being given to them since I sowed them. Although I did sprinkle a very small bit of water on them today right before I took those pictures, I felt 4 weeks without adding any water was pushing it.

And wow, I did not know their roots could get that big. Does that mean these plants don't like growing together, should I separate them? (If so should I do it now, or wait till they get bigger?)

Let's hope I can keep these babies alive.

Thanks again.

Rue being a desert plant needs a well-draining alkaline (pH 7.5+) soil and very little water. Potting on to a too-acidic soil is usually what kills most seedlings.

I've heard it's best to water them from below, as that's how they get their moisture in their natural habitat. Apparently it's much hardier plant than most people give it credit for, as it'll die back to the roots for months once temps drop, but when it warms up again the plant will spring back to life with just a bit of watering.

As stated, treat it like a cactus. And throw a handful of lime in with your potting soil. They should be fine.