Galium mollugo
| Galium mollugo | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 3 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Self Pollinated | |
| Height: | 4' |
| Width: | 2' |
| Speed: | Moderate |
| Blooms: | Early Summer-Early Fall |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Galium mollugo (common name: hedge bedstraw)
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: 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].
A polymorphic species[2].
Range: Most of Europe, including Britain, to N. Africa and temperate Asia.
Habitat: Hedgebanks, open woodland, scrub and grassy slopes, especially on base-rich and calcareous soils[2].
Edibility: Leaves - raw or cooked[3].
Medicinal: The plant is lithontripic and vulnerary. It is also used in the treatment of epilepsy and hysteria[4].
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[5]. 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[5].
Usage: A red dye is obtained from the root[6][7]. It is very fiddly to utilize[8].
A good ground cover for growing in cool shade under shrubs or in the woodland garden[1].
Pollinators: Flies, beetles, self
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Seed Ripens: Late Summer-Early Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Also Known As: G. elatum. G. erectum.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ Elias, Thomas. A Field Guide to North American Edible Wild Plants. Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1982.
- ↑ Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Bown, Deni. Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopaedia of Herbs and Their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, 1995.
- ↑ Polunin, Oleg. Flowers of Europe. Oxford University Press, 1969.
- ↑ Grae, Ida. Nature's Colors. MacMillan Publishing, 1974.
- ↑ Buchanan, Rita. A Weavers Garden.