ABSTRACT
Ruta graveolens L. (Fig. 16.1I) has numerous natural stands in southern Europe. It occurs mostly in southern France, on the Balkan Peninsula, also in the Crimea and Bulgaria. Furthermore, it overgrows in the mountain regions of Spain, Greece and the southern part of the Alps. It is a species cultivated for its medicinal and decorative values as well in central European countries and in North America and southwestern Asia (Hegi, 1965; Tutin et al., 1968; Hoppe, 1975).
