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Galium mollugo L.

Smooth bedstraw, false baby’s breath, upright bedstraw, upright hedge bedstraw, white bedstraw, wild madder

KingdomPlantaePlants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
SubkingdomTracheobiontaVascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
DivisionMagnoliophytaFlowering plants, also known as angiosperms
ClassMagnoliopsidaDicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
SubclassAsteridaeA large class that encompasses asters
OrderGentianalesGentians, coffee, gardenias, frangipani, many others
FamilyRubiaceaeCoffee, madder, and bedstraw family
GenusGaliumFrom Greek gala, “milk,” because some Galium species were used to curdle milk
SpeciesmollugoAn old name for the genus Galium, now used in the family Aizoacaea instead

About plant names...

A European native, smooth bedstraw was introduced and now common in North America. This and related plants are called bedstraws because a fragrant-smelling yellow-flowered species, Galium verum, was used to stuff mattresses in medieval times.

Some members of Galium:

 

Galium mollugo (smooth bedstraw, false baby’s breath, upright bedstraw, upright hedge bedstraw, white bedstraw, wild madder)

6/27/2021 · Maquoit Bay Preserve, Brunswick, Maine · ≈ 4½ × 7″ (11 × 17 cm)

Galium mollugo (smooth bedstraw, false baby’s breath, upright bedstraw, upright hedge bedstraw, white bedstraw, wild madder)

6/12/2023 · Viles Arboretum, Augusta, Maine

 
Galium aparine
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Galium mollugo

Galium odoratum
Common Name

catchweed bedstraw

smooth bedstraw

sweet woodruff
Plant Stem is square stem, purplish in the spring, green as the plant matures. All parts of the plant are covered with tiny velcro-like hooks. Up to 3′ (1 m), vinelike. Stems are square and smooth. Low-growing plant may reach 1½′ (50 cm) in length, but only about 8″ (20 cm) in height. Plants have an appealing sweet scent
Flowers 4-petaled, white, ⅛″ (3.2 mm) around, appearing from May to July. Hundreds of tiny white 4-petaled flowers ⅛″ (3.2 mm) across, producing white masses. Small white flowers, each ⅛-¼″ (4-7 mm) in diameter, are raised above the leaves on thin stalks
Leaves Whorls of 6-8 leaves every few inches, each 1-2″ (2.5-5 cm) long. In whorls of 6-8, 1-1½″ (2.5-3.8 cm) long, smooth. ¾-1¾″ (2-5 cm) long, arranged in whorls of 6-9
Range/ Zones

USDA Zones: 4-8
Type Wild Wild Wild
Occurrence Common Common Common

 

Identification: Smooth bedstraw is vine-like, growing to a length of up to 4′ (1.2 m). If it is flowering, its tiny flowers occurs in white masses that stand out in meadows. If not, you'll notice the regular whorls of 6-8 leaves every few inches. They give it a neat, orderly appearance. Leaves are 1½-2″ (3.8-5 cm) long. On closer inspection, there is the perfectly square stem, which may be purplish in the spring, but is green as the plant matures. The 4-petaled flowers are white and about ⅛″ (3.2 mm) around, on a stalk that is longer than the flower is wide. Unlike catchweed bedstraw, which feels sandpapery to the touch, smooth bedstraw is smooth.

Online References:

Plants for a Future, a resource and information centre for edible and otherwise useful plants

The Virginia Tech Weed Identification Guide

Plants for a Future, a resource and information centre for edible and otherwise useful plants

The Connecticut Botanical Society's Connecticut wildflowers site

The University of Massachusetts Landscape, Nursery & Urban Forestry Program

Galium mollugo (smooth bedstraw, false baby’s breath, upright bedstraw, upright hedge bedstraw, white bedstraw, wild madder)

6/13/2016 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts

Galium mollugo (smooth bedstraw, false baby’s breath, upright bedstraw, upright hedge bedstraw, white bedstraw, wild madder)

4/21/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 7 × 11″ (18 × 27 cm)

Galium mollugo (smooth bedstraw, false baby’s breath, upright bedstraw, upright hedge bedstraw, white bedstraw, wild madder)

5/29/2010 · Maine Audubon Gilsland Farm Audubon Center, Falmouth, Maine · ≈ 11 × 7″ (27 × 18 cm) ID is uncertain

Galium mollugo (smooth bedstraw, false baby’s breath, upright bedstraw, upright hedge bedstraw, white bedstraw, wild madder)

6/13/2016 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts

Galium mollugo (smooth bedstraw, false baby’s breath, upright bedstraw, upright hedge bedstraw, white bedstraw, wild madder)

6/20/2010 · Blue Hill Reservation, Milford, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (17 × 11 cm)

Galium mollugo (smooth bedstraw, false baby’s breath, upright bedstraw, upright hedge bedstraw, white bedstraw, wild madder)

6/13/2016 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts

Galium mollugo (smooth bedstraw, false baby’s breath, upright bedstraw, upright hedge bedstraw, white bedstraw, wild madder)

6/9/2017 · Acton Arboretum, Acton, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 4 × 6″ (11 × 16 cm)

Galium mollugo (smooth bedstraw, false baby’s breath, upright bedstraw, upright hedge bedstraw, white bedstraw, wild madder)

6/4/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Ayer, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 10 × 15″ (26 × 39 cm)

Galium mollugo (smooth bedstraw, false baby’s breath, upright bedstraw, upright hedge bedstraw, white bedstraw, wild madder)

4/6/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 1 × 1½′ (34 × 52 cm) ID is uncertain

Galium erectum Huds.

Galium mollugo L. ssp. erectum (Huds.) Briq.

Galium mollugo L. var. erectum (Huds.) Domin

 

Galium mollugo description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 6 Sep 2021.

© FloraFinder.org. All rights reserved.


 

Galium mollugo (smooth bedstraw, false baby’s breath, upright bedstraw, upright hedge bedstraw, white bedstraw, wild madder)

6/17/2013 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Nashoba Hospital, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (16 × 11 cm)

Galium mollugo (smooth bedstraw, false baby’s breath, upright bedstraw, upright hedge bedstraw, white bedstraw, wild madder)

6/4/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Ayer, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 6 × 9″ (15 × 23 cm)

Galium mollugo (smooth bedstraw, false baby’s breath, upright bedstraw, upright hedge bedstraw, white bedstraw, wild madder)

6/13/2016 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts

Galium mollugo (smooth bedstraw, false baby’s breath, upright bedstraw, upright hedge bedstraw, white bedstraw, wild madder)

8/15/2021 · Bass Falls Preserve, Alna, Maine · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (17 × 11 cm)

Galium mollugo (smooth bedstraw, false baby’s breath, upright bedstraw, upright hedge bedstraw, white bedstraw, wild madder)

6/22/2016 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts

Galium mollugo (smooth bedstraw, false baby’s breath, upright bedstraw, upright hedge bedstraw, white bedstraw, wild madder)

6/13/2016 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts

Galium mollugo (smooth bedstraw, false baby’s breath, upright bedstraw, upright hedge bedstraw, white bedstraw, wild madder)

9/25/2009 · Nashua River Rail Trail, near Hospital, Ayer, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 11 × 7″ (27 × 18 cm)

Galium mollugo (smooth bedstraw, false baby’s breath, upright bedstraw, upright hedge bedstraw, white bedstraw, wild madder)

6/24/2015 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Ctr, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 6 × 8″ (14 × 20 cm)

Galium mollugo (smooth bedstraw, false baby’s breath, upright bedstraw, upright hedge bedstraw, white bedstraw, wild madder)

6/27/2021 · Maquoit Bay Preserve, Brunswick, Maine · ≈ 3½ × 6″ (9.4 × 14 cm)

Galium mollugo (smooth bedstraw, false baby’s breath, upright bedstraw, upright hedge bedstraw, white bedstraw, wild madder)

6/22/2014 · Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Hollis, New Hamp­shire · ≈ 8 × 6″ (20 × 14 cm)

Galium mollugo (smooth bedstraw, false baby’s breath, upright bedstraw, upright hedge bedstraw, white bedstraw, wild madder)

6/13/2016 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts

Range:

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