Galium gracile
| Galium gracile | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |   |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Self Pollinated | |
| Height: | 0.5' |
| Width: | 2' |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Galium gracile
Propagation: Seed - best sown in situ as soon as it is ripe in late summer[1]. The seed can also be sown in spring though it may be very slow to germinate[1]. This plant does not really need any help to reproduce itself.
Division in spring or throughout the growing season if the plants are kept well watered[1]. Very easy, larger clumps can be replanted direct into their permanent positions, though it is best to pot up smaller clumps and grow them on in a cold frame until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the spring.
Cultivation: We have almost no information on this species and do not know if it will be hardy in this country. The following notes are based on the general needs of the genus.
Prefers a loose moist leafy soil in some shade[1]. Tolerates dry soils but the leaves quickly become scorched when growing in full sun[1]. This species does not thrive in a hot climate[1].
Range: E. Asia - China.
Habitat: Village outskirts, grassy thickets along ditches[2].
Edibility: Leaves - raw or cooked[3].
Medicinal: The whole plant is anodyne, antiphlogistic, depurative, diuretic, febrifuge[2]. A decoction is used in the treatment of boils and abscesses, bloody and mucoid dysentery, gonorrhoea, 'red' and 'white' discharge (bloody and mucous discharge), cancerous tumours and infantile marismus[2].
A number of species in this genus contain asperuloside, a substance that produces coumarin and gives the scent of new-mown hay as the plant dries[4]. Asperuloside can be converted into prostaglandins (hormone-like compounds that stimulate the uterus and affect blood vessels), making the genus of great interest to the pharmaceutical industry[4].
Usage: A red dye is obtained from the root[5].
Pollinators: Flies, beetles, self
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Revolutionary Health Committee of Hunan Province. A Barefoot Doctors Manual. Running Press.
- ↑ Elias, Thomas. A Field Guide to North American Edible Wild Plants. Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1982.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Bown, Deni. Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopaedia of Herbs and Their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, 1995.
- ↑ Grae, Ida. Nature's Colors. MacMillan Publishing, 1974.