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Galium mollugo L., Hedge Bedstraw

Account Summary

Very probably introduced, very rare. European boreo-temperate, also native in at least parts of W & C Asia, introduced in eg Ethiopia, E Asia, N America and New Zealand.

1903; Abraham, J.T. & McCullagh, F.R.; well-established on a lawn undisturbed for 40 years, at the Model School, Enniskillen town.

Fermanagh occurrences

Both of the post-1975 records for this very variable, stoloniferous, either erect or scrambling and trailing, hay-scented, perennial bedstraw, typical of warm, dry, sheltered calcareous or base-rich conditions were queried by the finders on their field record cards, indicating that they were uncertain of their identification. These two records, requiring verification, are listed below purely for completeness. There are, however, three older more reliable records listed in the Revised Typescript Flora, which date from the period 1903 to 1960. Thus, the Fermanagh records closely mirror the situation of this species (and its subspecies) recounted in the three-county FNEI 3.

In addition to the above first Fermanagh record, the other five are: on grassy bank of Upper Lough Erne shore, near Old Crom Castle, 1945, MCM & D; scrambling near entrance to Crom Estate (subsp. mollugo), 1948, MCM & D; large patch at mainland end of Inisherk Bridge, Crom Castle estate – very erect, non-trailing growth (subsp. erectum Syme), 29 June 1960, Dr G. Gillespie; Derrymacrow Td, shore, Kilturk Lough, 14 August 1986, P.J.T. Brain & T. Waterman; Kilturk West Td, shore, Kilturk Lough, 15 August 1986, P.J.T. Brain & T. Waterman.

The habitats in Fermanagh have thus included a school lawn, an entrance gateway to a large country estate (Crom) and a lakeshore bank on the same estate.

Irish occurrences

While the Cen Cat Fl Ir 2 lists at least one record having been made of G. mollugo in 29 of the 40 Irish VCs, in the north of Ireland, as elsewhere on the island, the species has a sporadic, very rare, yet widespread occurrence, mainly in grassland and on roadside banks (Reynolds 2002; Parnell & Curtis 2012). The occasional to frequent occurrence of the plant in Irish lawns very strongly suggests accidental introduction with grass seed mixtures (Davies 1896). Nowadays, G. mollugo is regularly present as a component of amenity planted 'wild-flower seed mixtures' and undoubtedly escapes beyond cultivated areas on roadsides in both B & I.

In Ireland, it is probably best described as widespread but very rare and an extremely casual or precarious alien introduction, although occasionally individual populations can persist for up to half a century (Davies 1896; An Irish Flora 1996; Parnell & Curtis 2012; New Atlas).

Variation

Two native subspecies are recognised by Sell & Murrell (2006), subsp. mollugo and subsp. erectum Syme. Their B & I distributions are not known, but subsp. erectum is usually on drier, more calcareous soils.

British occurrence

G. mollugo is not a species with very exacting habitat requirements. It flowers from June to September and is pollinated by small flies (Garrard & Streeter 1983). The New Atlas hectad map shows G. mollugo is very frequent and widespread throughout S England, and again so in N England, but much more scarce and scattered in Wales and in Scotland, where it is absent from the majority of the western and northern isles. G. mollugo is also absent from the Isle of Man. It reaches a maximum altitude of 845 m at Great Dun Fell in Westmorland (W.R. Meek, in: Preston et al. 2002).

Garrard & Streeter (1983), Stace (New Flora of the BI) and others describe it as occurring commonly in S England in all sorts of well-drained, calcareous or base-rich, rough grassy places, including hedgerows, scrub, roadsides and waste ground, so its extremely poor performance in Ireland, even as an invader, is rather puzzling. One has to presume that, as with other species excluded by the formation of the Irish Sea, G. mollugo simply finds its habitat niche is already occupied and well filled by alternative species. It certainly appears insufficiently competitive to survive and become permanently established here.

European and world occurrence

G. mollugo is a member of the European boreo-temperate phytogeographical element and is distributed throughout Europe, in parts of W & C Asia and in N Africa. It has been spread northwards with settlement and farming and has been introduced amongst other places in Ethiopia, E Asia, N America and New Zealand (Hultén & Fries 1986, Map 1517).

Names

The genus name 'Galium' is a name in Dioscorides derived from the Greek 'gala', 'milk', that was first given to Galium verum, a herb widely used to curdle milk for cheese making (Johnson & Smith 1946; Gilbert-Carter 1964). The Latin specific epithet 'mollugo' is a combination of 'mollis' meaning 'soft', and the feminine suffix '-ūgo' (Gilbert-Carter 1964).

English common names, apart from 'Hedge Bedstraw' the rather all too obvious invented 'book name' of no folk interest whatsoever, include 'White Bedstraw', 'White Madder', the very odd and puzzling 'False Baby's breath', 'Sticky Grass', 'Wild Madder' and 'Whip-tongue' (Britten & Holland 1886; Hyam & Pankhurst 1995). 'Baby's Breath' is a name applied to Gypsophila paniculata, that is described as, "fancifully descriptive", and an alternative to 'Maiden's breath' and 'Gauze plant' (Watts 2000). Presumably the name refers to the loose frothy appearance of the inflorescence, which also applies to many Galium species.

The name 'Whip-tongue' is said to be derived from children using its leaves in play to draw blood from their tongues (Prior 1879), presumably referring to potential damage from the rough, short, forwardly directed rigid hairs on the leaf margins (Sell & Murrell 2006). This name is also applied to the grass, Dactylis glomerata (Cock's-foot) for the same reason, on account of the rough-feeling leaves (Britten & Holland 1886).

Threats

None.

References

Hackney, P.( Ed.) and Beesley, S., Harron, J. and Lambert, D. (1992); Meikle, R.D.(Ed.), Carrothers, E.N., Moon, J.McK. and Davidson, R.C. (1975); Webb et al 1996; Davies 1896; Preston et al. 2002; Reynolds 2002; Stace 1997; Scannell & Synnott 1987; Garrard & Streeter 1983; Hultén & Fries 1986; Parnell & Curtis 2012; Britten & Holland 1886; Hyam & Pankhurst 1995; Johnson & Smith 1946; Gilbert-Carter 1964; Watts 2000; Prior 1879; Sell & Murrell 2006.