Galium verum L., Lady's Bedstraw
Account Summary
Native, locally frequent to occasional. Eurasian boreo-temperate, introduced in N America and New Zealand.
1882; Stewart, S.A.; Co Fermanagh.
April to December.
Growth form and preferred habitats
Lady's Bedstraw is a wintergreen, patch-forming, deep-rooting perennial with numerous, slender, creeping stolons arising from a short, woody rhizome. It typically produces numerous decumbent to sub-erect, 4-angled, almost glabrous shoots, branched from their often woody base, c 30-50 cm tall, although frequently they are dwarfed when grazed, or when growing in shallow soil or in rock crevices, where the effects of drought and nutrient stress are extreme and limit its growth. Leaves are small, bright green, slender, with hard-pointed tips and rough, down-turned margins. They are one-veined, downy underneath and are borne in whorls of eight to twelve (Hutchinson 1972).
A locally frequent and sometimes abundant species on fairly dry, sandy, relatively infertile, mildly acid to neutral soils, or in open, rocky, calcareous terrain. In coastal areas, it frequents sand dunes, maritime heaths and sea cliffs. Elsewhere, it grows on rough grassland, commons, downs, hedge banks and in a range of other warm, sunny, dry sites subject to grazing or other forms of moderate disturbance. In previous years, it used to be a regular component in species-rich pastures, but sadly these are almost entirely gone now (Sinker et al. 1985).
G. verum is quite tolerant of grazing pressure, being rather astringent and bitter in taste and therefore unpalatable to stock. While it spreads by means of stolons (its main form of reproduction is probably vegetative) and can form vigorous clonal patches, it is unable to persist for long in tall grass or under dense shade.
The established strategy of the species is categorised as CSR/SC, ie intermediate between a balance of all three strategies, Competitor, Stress-tolerator and Ruderal, and a Stress-tolerant Competitor. Having said this, G. verum is considered an infrequent colonist of freshly available habitats (Grime et al. 1988, 2007), and with the advent and increase of deliberately sown wild-flower seed mixtures, it may be increasing dependent on these sowings for maintenance of its previously observed B & I range.
Flowering reproduction
The conspicuous but tiny, bright yellow flowers, 3-4 mm diameter, with 4-lobed corollas are abundantly produced in densely-crowded, frothy, terminal and axillary cymose heads from July to September. They are honey- or cumarin-scented when fresh and en masse (Mabey 1996). Nectar is freely exposed in the flower and pollination is by Coleoptera spp. and small flies (Genders 1971; Garrard & Streeter 1983). The fruit is small, 2 × 3 mm, round, smooth and slightly 2-lobed, containing just two seeds per flower, although one carpel is often aborted (Butcher 1961). The fruit becomes black in colour and is unconcealed as it ripens (Melderis & Bangerter 1955).
Little appears to be known of the seed ecology of the species (Grime et al. 1988, 2007). However, the soil seed bank survey of NW Europe contains no less than 22 estimates for G. verum, providing a very mixed picture: 15 transient, three short-term persistent, and four present but cannot be assigned to a category (Thompson et al. 1997). The current author (RSF) reckons this suggests G. verum seed is capable of surviving burial for up to five years in some circumstances, but it mostly germinates within a year of production, or else it dies.
Fermanagh occurrences
In Fermanagh, G. verum almost always occurs in surface-leached limestone soils and, thus, as the tetrad distribution map shows, it is almost confined to the western half of the VC where these rocks and soils occur. The habitats found range from calcareous pastures, to dry banks, sandy lakeshores and limestone screes. It is particularly common in the Monawilkin-Knockmore district, Legacurragh and around Trien Mountain above Florencecourt, Hanging Rock, Knockninny and Skreen Hill above the Marble Arch. Overall, it has been recorded in 38 Fermanagh tetrads, 7.2% of those in the VC.
Irish occurrence
G. verum is easily recognised, being the only bright yellow-flowered bedstraw in our flora (apart from a hybrid (G. × pomeranicum), of which it is a co-parent with G. mollugo) (Garrard & Streeter 1983). The hybrid is a rare plant of tetraploid origin, which has paler yellow flowers, displays hybrid vigour, and is found in just three Irish VCs in the far S of the island.
Although recorded in all 40 Irish VCs, G. verum is much more frequent in the Midlands and the E of Ireland, the distribution thinning considerably towards both the NE and the SW (Scannell & Synnott 1987; Webb et al. 1996; Preston et al. 2002).
British occurrence
G. verum is widespread and common throughout lowland Britain from the Channel Isles to Shetland (VC 112). Although local losses have occurred in many areas since the 1950s as a result of the intensification of agricultural grassland management, Lady's Bedstraw remains widespread across its whole range, perhaps in part on account of it frequently being a component in so-called 'wild-flower seed mixtures' commonly sown in gardens and amenity ground (W.R. Meek, in: Preston et al. 2002). This may help explain why the partial re-survey of Change in the British Flora 1987-2004 found G. verum to be on the increase (Braithwaite et al. 2006).
European and world occurrence
G. verum s.l. is widespread in Europe and Asia, from northern Scandinavia southwards to the Mediterranean and into N Africa. Forms of the plant range eastwards across Asia to Japan. It is introduced in both N America and New Zealand (Hultén & Fries 1986, Map 1529; Sell & Murrell 2006).
Names and uses
The genus name 'Galium' is a name in Dioscorides derived from the Greek 'gala', 'milk' that was first given to Galium verum, since the herb is or was widely used to curdle milk for cheese making (Johnson & Smith 1946; Gilbert-Carter 1964). The Latin specific epithet 'verum' means 'true' or 'genuine', presumably referring to the legend mentioned below (Gilbert-Carter 1964).
Grigson (1955, 1987) lists as many as 18 English common names for this widespread and well known plant of many uses. The name 'Lady's bedstraw' refers to 'Our Lady' the Virgin Mary. It derives from the Medieval German legend that when dried it was used to perfume the straw and bracken (like Woodruff, the plant contains sweetly scented coumarin) that stuffed the paillasse mattress in the Bethlehem manger. The legend also holds that it was the only plant in the stable that the donkey did not eat (Grigson 1955, 1987).
The astringent qualities of the plant may also have helped recommend it for bedding, to combat fleas, and this property certainly allowed the species to be used as a rennet to curdle milk and colour it for cheese-making. This is reflected in several of the common names, eg 'Cheese Rennet', 'Cheese-running' and 'Keeslip' (ie cheeselip or rennet) (Grieve 1931; Garrard & Streeter 1983). G. verum has much the same herbal medicinal virtues as G. aparine (Cleavers) and was used as a popular remedy in gravel, stone and urinary diseases. It was also used as a styptic for coagulating blood both internally, as in bleeding noses, and externally for dressing wounds. A decoction or ointment made of the herb and flowers, used while still warm, provided a useful foot balm for the weary traveller (Grieve 1931; Grigson 1955, 1987).
In addition, the stems and roots have been used to produce both yellow and red dyes, similar to those of Madder, Rubia tinctoria (Grieve 1931).
Threats
None.
References
Grieve, M. (1931); Grigson, G. (1955, 1987); Grime, J.P., Hodgson, J.G. and Hunt, R. (1988, 2007); Webb,D.A., Parnell,J. and Doogue,D. (1996); Scannell, M.J.P. and Synnott, D.M. (1987); Mabey, R. (1996); Genders, R. (1971); Hultén & Fries 1986; Sell & Murrell 2006; Garrard & Streeter 1983; Preston et al. 2002; Melderis & Bangerter 1955; Sinker et al. 1985;Hutchinson 1972; Butcher 1961; Thompson et al. 1997; Johnson & Smith 1946; Gilbert-Carter 1964.