Short Description
Lady’s bedstraw can grow to a height of 80 cm.
The leaves are arranged in whorls of six to twelve around the stem. They are narrowly linear and look a bit like needles.
The stem is erect to prostrate and generally branched.
The flowers are yellow and densely clustered in panicles (flower heads). The individual florets are comparatively small, generally with four petals and a funnel-shaped crown. The smell intensely of honey.
The fruit is schizocarp, i.e. breaks into two single-seeded parts when ripe.
Features
Lady’s bedstraw
Galium verum
dense clusters of small yellow flowers
In the city
Lady’s bedstraw is comparatively rarely found in an urban environment because of the richness of the soil. It grows in nutrient-poor meadows and pastures and prefers dry to wet-dry chalky sites.
Fun Facts
Lady’s bedstraw is used as a dyeing plant in drinks and food.
It flowers from May to September.
It lives for several years and generally flowers and fruits annually (perennial plant).
The plant develops sprawling branches allowing it to reproduce asexually (vegetative reproduction).
- Endangerment level Germany: not endangered
In folk medicine, Lady’s bedstraw is considered a diuretic and antispasmodic agent.
Sources
Habitus, Bjoertvedt, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Galium_verum_02.jpg
Blütenstand, Guérin Nicolas, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vall%C3%A9e_du_Marcadau_95.JPG?uselang=ru
Habitus, Le.Loup.Gris, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Galium_verum_habitus.jpg
Eggenberg, S. & Möhl, A. (2007) Flora Vegetativa: Ein Bestimmungsbuch für Pflanzen der Schweiz im blütenlosen Zustand, Bern, Stuttgart, Wien: Haupt Verlag.
Spohn, M., Golte-Bechtle, M. & Spohn, R. (2015) Was blüht denn da? Stuttgart: Franckh Kosmos Verlag.
Jäger, E. J. (2011) Rothmaler - Exkursionsflora von Deutschland. Gefäßpflanzen: Grundband, Heidelberg: Spektrum Akademischer Verlag.
Kammer, P. M. (2016) Pflanzen einfach bestimmen. Schritt für Schritt einheimische Arten kennenlernen, Bern: Haupt Verlag.
Lippert, W. & Podlech, D. (1993) GU Naturführer. Blumen: die wichtigen Blütenpflanzen Mitteleuropas erkennen und bestimmen, München: Gräfe und Unzer Verlag.
Schauer, T., Caspari, C. & Caspari, S. (2015) Der illustrierte BLV-Pflanzenführer für unterwegs. 1150 Blumen, Gräser, Bäume und Sträucher, München: BLV.
Page „Echtes Labkraut“. : Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Date of last revision: 04.01.2017, 12:57 UTC. URL: https://de.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Echtes_Labkraut&oldid=161270502 (Accessed: 05.01.2017).
Bundesamt für Naturschutz (n.d.) Artensteckbriefe, URL: http://floraweb.de/pflanzenarten/artenhome.xsql?suchnr=2600& (Accessed: 05.01.2017).