noun

• 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.’

  More example sentences

  • ‘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.’