Galium mollugo L.

Hedge-bedstraw (en), Gaillet mollugine (fr), Gaillet commun (fr), Gaillet Mollugine (fr), Caille-lait blanc (fr)

Species

Angiosperms > Gentianales > Rubiaceae > Galium

Characteristics

Perennial 3–12 dm, the numerous weak stems usually ± erect from a decumbent base, glabrous or shortly spreading-hairy below; short, slender, leafy perennial offshoots produced in summer or fall; lvs in 6’s or 8’s, antrorsely scabro-ciliate, otherwise glabrous, linear-oblong to oblanceolate, mostly 1–2.5 cm and broadest above the middle, 1-nerved, cuspidate, concolorous; fls numerous in terminal, often divaricately branched, rather showy cymose panicles, the cor white or nearly so, 2–5 mm wide; fr glabrous, 1–1.5 mm; 2n=22, 44, 66, 88. A Eurasian weed, now well established in our range. The typical phase has the cor 2–3 mm wide, the pedicels usually longer than the width of the fls, and lax infls with the branches strongly divaricate after anthesis. The var. erectum (Huds.) Domin (G. album Mill.) has the cor 3–5 mm wide, the pedicels usually shorter than the width of the fls, and rather dense infl with less divaricate branches. Both are reported in our range.
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Sprawling perennial, glabrous or nearly so, with stout rootstock; stems ± 4-angled, lax, to 30 cm long, longer amongst tall vegetation; branches few, occasionally with patent hairs. Lvs and stipules in whorls of 6, sessile, 4-20 × 1.5-5 mm, sometimes smaller in uppermost axils, oblanceolate to obovate or elliptic, dull, glabrous except for scabridulous or occasionally ciliate, slightly revolute margins; apex mucronate. Infl. an oblong or ovoid, lax, glabrous panicle of many terminal and axillary, divaricately-branched, few-flowered cymes; pedicels < than peduncles; bracts often very reduced, except near base. Corolla (1.7)-2-3 mm diam., white; lobes ovate-oblong, mucronate. Mericarps 0.8-1.5 mm long, ± broad-reniform, rugulose.
A small herb. It grows 30-90 cm tall and spreads 30-50 cm wide. The stems are 4 angled and weak. They can be erect or spreading. The leaves are narrow and sword shaped. They are thin textured. They are 25 mm long. They occur in rings of 6 to 8. They have rough edges. The flowers are small and white. They have purple flecks. They occur as many flowers together at the ends of branches.
Life form perennial
Growth form herb
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention -
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination
Spread barochory
Mature width (meter) 0.45 - 0.55
Mature height (meter) 1.2
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) 0.67
Root diameter (meter) 0.2
Flower color
Blooming months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Fruit color -
Fruiting months -
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway c3

Environment

It is a temperate plant. It grows in grassy habitats and open woodlands. In Argentina it grows below 500 m above sea level. It suits hardiness zones 2-9.
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Hedgebanks, open woodland, scrub and grassy slopes, especially on base-rich and calcareous soils.
Light 4-6
Soil humidity 1-6
Soil texture 1-6
Soil acidity 3-7
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 3-7

Usage

The leaves are added to herb mixtures in pistic.
Uses dye environmental use medicinal wood
Edible leaves
Therapeutic use Diuretic (unspecified), Pectoral (unspecified), Spasm (unspecified), Sudorific (unspecified), Astringent (unspecified), Epilepsy (unspecified), Antipyretics (unspecified), Antirheumatic agents (unspecified)
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Can be grown by seedlings.
Mode seedlings
Germination duration (days) 84
Germination temperacture (C°) -5 - 3
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Habit

Galium mollugo habit picture by agathaha (cc-by-sa)
Galium mollugo habit picture by John Walsh (cc-by-sa)
Galium mollugo habit picture by agathaha (cc-by-sa)

Leaf

Galium mollugo leaf picture by userNat (cc-by-sa)
Galium mollugo leaf picture by HonzaValmez (cc-by-sa)
Galium mollugo leaf picture by Roelofs yvonne (cc-by-sa)

Flower

Galium mollugo flower picture by Ludi Granja González (cc-by-sa)
Galium mollugo flower picture by Wie Hü (cc-by-sa)
Galium mollugo flower picture by Michael Zimmer (cc-by-sa)

Fruit

Galium mollugo fruit picture by steph sanderson (cc-by-sa)
Galium mollugo fruit picture by Vincent Thery (cc-by-sa)
Galium mollugo fruit picture by Florent Feraille (cc-by-sa)

Distribution

Galium mollugo world distribution map, present in Albania, Austria, Bulgaria, Belarus, Canada, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Germany, Denmark, Spain, Finland, France, Hungary, Italy, Libya, Morocco, Netherlands, Norway, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, Sweden, Ukraine, Uruguay, and United States of America

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:750253-1
WFO ID wfo-0000969499
COL ID 3F644
BDTFX ID 29078
INPN ID 99473
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR) Link

Synonyms

Rubia mollugo Galium album Galium bocconei Galium corrudifolium Galium flaccidum Galium lucidum Galium lucidum Galium molle Galium mollugo Galium pubescens Galium scabrum Galium chloranthum Galium vulgare Galium aristatum Galium elatum Galium erectum var. pubescens Galium erectum var. petreum Galium mollugo var. scabrum Galium erectum var. tyrolense Galium erectum var. aristatum Galium erectum var. diffusum Galium erectum var. pseudocinereum Galium lucidum var. viridulum Galium mollugo var. elatum Galium mollugo var. maritimum Galium erectum var. approximatum Galium corrudifolium var. pallidulum Galium elatum var. clivale Galium elatum var. dumetorum Galium elatum var. genuinum Galium elatum var. latifolium Galium elatum var. umbrosum Galium erectum var. boreanum Galium erectum var. calcareum Galium erectum var. genuinum Galium erectum var. scabridulum Galium gerardii var. falcatum Galium gerardii var. genuinum Galium mollugo var. boreanum Galium mollugo var. chloranthum Galium mollugo var. dumetorum Galium mollugo var. elatum Galium mollugo subsp. elatum Galium mollugo subsp. gerardii Galium mollugo var. insubricum Galium mollugo var. pallidulum Galium mollugo var. tenuissimum Galium mollugo var. tyrolense Galium mollugo subsp. tyrolense Galium mollugo var. virgultorum Galium mollugo var. viridulum Galium x var. paulianum Galium erectum var. bielzii Galium gerardii var. tenuissimum Galium gerardii var. viridulum Galium mollugo var. scabridulum Galium mollugo var. falcatum

Lower taxons

Galium mollugo subsp. mollugo