thumb|Dried fruits.Ruta chalepensis is a species of flowering plant in the Rutaceae family known by the common name fringed rue. It is native to the Mediterranean and is found elsewhere as an introduced species.[1] 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.
In traditional herbal medicine, the plant is used as for a number of ailments, such as fever and inflammation.[2]
R. chalepensis is the original source of the chemical compound chalepensin.[3]
R. chalepensis is an introduced species in Ethiopia where, however, it is cultivated in gardens in almost every province of the country and is used as a culinary herb. The seeds are used to flavour wats and the leaves as a condiment in coffee and tea.[4] Called Tena adam in Amharic, it is used in the Ethiopian coffee ceremony.[5] 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.[6] [7] [8]