Heath bedstraw
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Gentianales
Family: Rubiaceae
Genus: Galium
Species:
G. saxatile
Binomial name
Galium saxatile
Synonyms

Galium hercynicum Weigel

Galium saxatile or heath bedstraw[1] is a plant species of the genus Galium. It is related to cleavers.

Galium saxatile is a perennial mat-forming herb, found on grassland, moors, heaths and woods. It can reach a height of 20 centimetres (7.9 in), and flowers in the UK from May to August. The stems are hairless and four sided. Its leaves are 8–25 millimetres (0.31–0.98 in) long, with 6–8 per whorl, and are lanceolate or obovate in shape. The mountain ringlet butterfly uses the plant for nectar.[2][3]

Galium saxatile is widespread across much of northern and central Europe from Portugal and Ireland to Scandinavia, France, Germany, Poland, Ukraine and Russia. It is also reportedly sparingly naturalized in Quebec, California and the Falkland Islands.[4][5]

References

  1. ↑ BSBI List 2007 (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
  2. ↑ "Heath Bedstraw Galium saxatile". Postcode plants database. London: Natural History Museum. Retrieved 19 August 2013.
  3. ↑ Biota of North America Project
  4. ↑ Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
  5. ↑ Altervista Flora Italiana
  • The Wild Flower Key British Isles – NW Europe by Francis Rose
  • Wild Flowers of Britain by Roger Phillips
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