A yellow-flowered Eurasian bedstraw which smells of hay when dried and was formerly used to make a mattress for sleeping on.
Galium verum, family Rubiaceae
‘Some areas of the reserve are on higher ground, so escape regular flooding and these areas support a different suite of species including pignut, lady's bedstraw and oxeye daisy.’
‘Gerard records the preference for rennet made from lady's bedstraw in making Cheshire cheese.’
‘The roots of lady's bedstraw, a roadside weed in the northeastern United States, produce a red dye on wool yarn, as does the root of the madder plant, a perennial originating in the Mediterranean regions.’
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