Lady's bedstraw

Lady’s bedstraw is widespread across Europe, North Africa and temperate Asia, and is naturalised in many countries where it can be a serious “weed”. It grows on roadside hedge banks and in dry, grassy areas with calcareous soil.

A low plant, stems often rooting where they touch the ground. Small, shiny, dark-green leaves in whorls of 8-12. It has small, yellow flowers in dense clusters. ^1.

First recorded botanically in Britain by Turner in 1548.^2. Other common names include “golden dust” and “a-hundredfold” reflecting the many tiny flowers.^3.

Once dried to stuff matresses due to the flea-repellent scent of the aromatic organic chemical coumarin which it contains. The flowers were also used in cheese making as a coagulant, giving names such as “cheese-running” and “curd-wort”.^3. The generic name derives from the Greek ‘gala’ meaning ‘milk’. It can also be used to make yellow and red dyes. It has been used to treat burns, as a diuretic and to treat urinary conditions such as cystitis.4.

At least 60 species feed on this plant, mainly Lepidoptera, but also bugs, flies, beetles and mites.^5. Crafer lists thirty moth species using lady’s bedstraw including six hawk moths such as the hummingbird hawk moth Macroglossum stellatarum and small elephant hawk moth Deilephila porcellus.^6.

References

1. Wikipedia article

2. Pearman, D. 2017. The Discovery of the Native Flora of Britain and Ireland, A compilation of the first records for 1670 species and aggregates, covering Great Britain, Ireland, The Channel Isles and the Isle of Man. Botanical Society of Britain & Ireland. p216

3. Vickery, R. 2019. Vickery’s Folk Flora, An A to Z of the Folklore and Uses of British and Irish Plants. Weidenfeld & Nicolson. London.p408

4. Chevallier A, ‘Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants’, Dorling Kindersley 1996 p212

5. Biological Records Office database

6. Crafer T. 2005. Foodplant list for the caterpillars of Britain’s Butterflies and larger Moths. Atropos Publishing.

Page written by Ceri Leigh, compiled by Steve Head

Lady’s bedstraw Galium verum

Family: Rubiaceae Bedstraw family

Perennial: Up to 80 cm

Flowering: June to September

Soils: Poor

Sun: Sun, tolerates shade

Lady’s bedstraw Galium verum

Family: Rubiaceae Bedstraw family

Perennial: Up to 80 cm

Flowering: June to September

Soils: Poor

Sun: Sun, tolerates shade

A low plant, stems often rooting where they touch the ground. Small, shiny, dark-green leaves in whorls of 8-12. It has small, yellow flowers in dense clusters. ^1.

First recorded botanically in Britain by Turner in 1548 ^2. Other common names include “golden dust” and “a-hundredfold” reflecting the many tiny flowers.^3.

Once dried to stuff matresses due to the flea-repellent scent of the aromatic organic chemical coumarin which it contains. The flowers were also used in cheese making as a coagulant, giving names such as “cheese-running” and “curd-wort” ^3. .The generic name derives from the Greek ‘gala’ meaning ‘milk’. It can also be used to make yellow and red dyes. It has been used to treat burns, as a diuretic and to treat urinary conditions such as cystitis.4.

References

1. Wikipedia article

3. Vickery, R. 2019. Vickery’s Folk Flora, An A to Z of the Folklore and Uses of British and Irish Plants. Weidenfeld & Nicolson. London.p408

4. Chevallier A, ‘Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants’, Dorling Kindersley 1996 p212

5. Biological Records Office database

6. Crafer T. 2005. Foodplant list for the caterpillars of Britain’s Butterflies and larger Moths. Atropos Publishing.

Page written by Ceri Leigh, compiled by Steve Head

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