Ruta, the national flower of Lithuanians - Cultural history of the rue plant (Ruts graveolens L.) and etymology of Lithuanian ruta and German Raute

This article asks the question why the rue plant (Ruta graveolens L.; ruta in Lithuanian), which was introduced into Lithuania no later than the 16th century, became the country's national flower. Linguistically and ethnographically, "rue/ruta" can mean two things in Lithuanian: a "torn, broken branch" or, in the context of wedding customs, a "symbol of chastity." This article also analyses the names of bodies of water and plants which have -rut-/-rut- as part of their names, as well as archaic, polyphonic songs "sutartines," which contain the words ruto, rutitel, rutela, as part of the refrain. This commonly held etymology of "rue/ruta" is consequently and essentially part of the reason why the "rue/ruta" became the national flower of Lithuania.