Galium mollugo (hedge bedstraw)

• Family: Rubiaceae (the coffee/madder family)
• Common name: hedge bedstraw, white bedstraw (syn. sometimes listed as Galium album)

Quick ID

• Habit: erect or sprawling perennial with wiry stems, typically 30–100 cm tall.
• Leaves: in whorls of about 6–8 (sometimes 5–9) narrow lanceolate leaves around the stem.
• Flowers: small, white, 4‑lobed, grouped in loose, flat-topped to open clusters (panicles). Bloom time typically late spring to summer (May–August in temperate zones).
• Fruit: small dry fruits (paired schizocarps); fruits of G. mollugo are not strongly hooked (unlike cleavers).
• Stem/texture: stems usually smooth or sparsely hairy (not strongly sticky).

Where it grows

• Habitat: hedgerows, grassy margins, meadows, banks and open woodland edges; often prefers well‑drained or calcareous soils.
• Distribution: native to much of Europe and parts of western Asia; naturalized in parts of North America.

Ecology and wildlife value

• Flowers provide nectar and pollen for a range of insects, including small bees and flies.
• Named “bedstraw” because various Galium species were historically used for stuffing mattresses and bedding.

How to distinguish from similar bedstraws

• Galium aparine (cleavers): sprawling and clinging, stems/leaves sticky with hooked hairs; fruits strongly hooked. Hedge bedstraw is more erect and not sticky.
• Galium verum (lady’s bedstraw): has yellow flowers and often a sweet scent when dried.
• Galium palustre (marsh bedstraw): prefers wet habitats and has smaller flowers/leaf whorls.

Uses and cautions

• Historical/folk uses: some Galium species were used for bedding, cheesemaking (Galium verum), or drying for scent. Hedge bedstraw is not commonly used for food or medicine today.
• Caution: don’t assume edible/medicinal properties—many bedstraws contain compounds (e.g., iridoids, coumarins in some species) and identification to species is important before any use.

Seeds per gram: 1500