Galium mollugo, Hedge Bedstraw, grows profusely in and around our meadow. After not mowing here at all last year it has managed to spread considerably and the major advantage of this is its lovely perfume! It smells divine, especially on a warm and sunny day. Like honey, like wild strawberries. Simply delicious.
Gallium mollugo has tiny white star-shaped flowers in clusters on tall wavy stems.
The plant is untidy in its growth, sprawling, climbing or leaning on neighbouring plants. It will grow on sandy loam, which is what we have here, preferring meadows or the edge of woodland. And it flowers from May through to September.
Its cousin – one of hundreds by the way! – is Galium verum, Lady’s Bedstraw or Yellow Bedstraw This is very similar in appearance and growth habits, somewhat rarer here, and has yellow flowers. It also smells wonderful. We only have a small patch of this on a sunny slope where the soil is particularly poor.
I didn’t venture into all that lovely tall grass and the other wild flowers to get closer as I couldn’t bare to flatten it all! So this is the only close-up photo I can find at the moment – a bit blurry I’m afraid…
And here it is earlier in the year before it flowered…
The uses of Galium range from being a substitute for rennet in cheese-making, to making a red dye for textiles. It also has medicinal properties, supposedly being anti-inflammatory and promoting the healing of wounds, as well as being a diuretic and soothing for skin complaints.
As a host plant for the small elephant hawk moth (which we have yet to see!), and a magnet for pollinators it is certainly a valuable plant that I would hate to classify as a weed. A farmer may think differently though as cattle don’t like its bitter taste in the hay, and it can reduce crop yield considerably too.
Have you ever noticed this plant in your part of the world?
If you would like to join me on a Wednesday, by sharing a weed or wild flower from your garden or local area, do leave a link below.
Happy gardening!
Words and Herbs 
I shall look out for this one, I don’t think that I know it.
I think it has become a lot rarer in the UK.
I have noticed this here – where its native – but not in great numbers. Always thought it was related to Sweet Woodruff – and so it is!
Yes, another Galium! 😃
I have seen the Ladies bedstraw, but not the white. How lovely that you have both growing on your land.
I fear the yellow is being crowded out by the other plants in the meadow though. On the other hand, the white one is so widespread that I have no worries there! 😃
Oh, yes, we definitely have Galium! Brought by settlers, it has made itself at home here in the New World. 🙂 It does smell lovely, I must say!
Yes, the smell is heavenly!
Was the bedstraw used to stuff mattresses?
I think the yellow one was, and that is how it got its name. I dried some of the white one last year and it didn’t smell of anything when dried though.
I like them both! We have a bit of Gallium mollugo that appeared in our rough grass patch from somewhere. I didn’t know about the rennet substitution. I’ll have to look that up to see if I can experiment.
I’ve been taking pictures of poppies today: https://frogenddweller.wordpress.com/2024/06/12/wild-and-weedy-wednesday-field-poppies/
A good idea… apparently (Wikipedia says) it was originally used to make double Gloucester cheese, giving it its distinctive yellow colour! Found this interesting website: https://monicawilde.com/wild-vegetable-rennet/
Very interesting. Thanks Cathy!
You have the widest, prettiest and most prolific collection of weeds, Cathy! And I mean that in an entirely positive way. I’ve never seen bedstraw here and have no weeds or wildflowers to share this week, having to settle for coverage of the advantages of our morning marine layer.
Thank you Kris! And I have so many more I could share – I will have to start a list for next year too! LOL!
Galium aparine is the only one of about six native species that I notice. It gets quite weedy where it is established. It happens to grow wild on the roadside right outside. While my knees have been achy for the past month or so, I have been making broth with it. Some might consider it to be tea, but it is made with fresh foliage rather than dried; and I simmer a lot of foliage for just a little bit of broth. It does not taste so good, but is effective.
That is interesting. A lot of herbal remedies do not taste very nice, but it is good that it helps your knees.
Cottonwood and willow are out there also, and might also help with achiness, but they taste no better. For now, I prefer to use the Galium aparine, or cleavers, because I want to get rid of them from that particular area.
Meadow loveliness! I have never seen anything like it.
It IS lovely, and I am lucky to be able to walk through it every day! 😊