Galium verum

Lady's Bedstraw ( Galium verum)

Called The True bedstraw ( Galium verum), also Yellow Forest straw, Our Lady straw bed, lovers herb element herb, yellow bedstraw, a plant belonging to the family of Rubiaceae is ( Rubiaceae ). It is distributed in Eurasia.

• 6.1 Notes and references

Description

The Real bedstraw grows as a perennial herbaceous plant, reaching heights of growth of mostly 20 to 70 cm, rarely up to 1 meter. There are formed under and aboveground runners. The upright or ascending to procumbent, roundish protruding stems are short haired and have Top four raised bars. The narrow linealischen, needle-shaped, grooved, rolled-back on the edge of sixth to twelfth in whorls arranged leaves are about 1 mm wide and 15 to 25 millimeters long and are einnervig or indistinct annoying as well as the under side pubescent.

The flowering period extends from May to September. The relatively small, golden to lemon yellow, arranged in paniculate inflorescences, flowers smell strongly of honey. The crown is wheel-shaped; the corolla lobes apiculate short, not grannenspitzig.

The fruit is smooth.

Ecology

The Real bedstraw is a Hemikryptophyt ( stem plant). By backward branches also a twine. The needle-like leaves are to be understood as a drought adaptation; during drying, they are mostly black.

The flowers smell like honey; there exists a bee forage plant. The flowers are self-sterile, but neighbor pollination is possible.

The smooth, black fruits are spread by ants; but it also occurs digestive dissemination. Fruit ripening is from August to October.

The Real bedstraw is the food plant of the caterpillars such as the little wine enthusiast, a crepuscular and nocturnal species of the family of the enthusiasts, as well as the Taubenschwänzchens.

Occurrence

The Real bedstraw is Eurasian common. As the site Magerrasen and meadow, dry grassland, waysides, Gebüschsäume but also peat meadows are preferred.

System

Subspecies:

• Galium verum subsp. asiaticum ( Nakai ) T.Yamaz.
• Galium verum subsp. glabrescens Ehrend.
• Galium verum L. subsp. verum
• Galium verum subsp. wirtgenii ( F.W.Schultz ) Oborny

Use

Like other Galium species the genuine bedstraw contains rennet, which is used in cheese production. Today, however, you have other sources for rennet. However, for the production of English Chester cheese, the herb is still used today. The dyes of flowers give the cheese its Chester yellowish- orange color and are responsible for the special taste.

In Scotland the Real bedstraw is still used as a coloring agent; the roots turn red, the flowers yellow. The flowering plant is also suitable for flavoring and yellow coloring of beverages.

The Real bedstraw is used as an ornamental plant and is, for example, wild plants gardens highly recommended. It can also be vegetatively propagate the culture by " root suckers ."

Use as medicaments

Due to its diuretic properties popularly used to cleavers tea is said to have proved helpful in gall and kidney stone disease. A proof of effectiveness does not exist.

Swell

• Lady's bedstraw. In: FloraWeb.de. (Sections Description and ecology)