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Lady's Bedstraw

©Neil Wyatt

Lady's bedstraw

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Enw gwyddonol: Galium verum
In summer, the 'frothy' flowers of lady's bedstraw can carpet the grasses of meadows, heaths and coasts with yellow and fill the air with a sweet, honey-like scent.

Top facts

Stats

Height: up to 30cm

Conservation status

Common.

Pryd i'w gweld

June to September

Ynghylch

The frothy, yellow flowers of lady's bedstraw scent the air of our grasslands, chalk downlands, meadows, heaths and sand dunes with honey. The stems can be so dense with flowers that they carpet the grass with yellow from June to September. Dried, this flower has the scent of new-mown hay, and its name is probably derived from the tradition of stuffing straw mattresses with it, particularly those of women about to give birth.

What to look for

Lady's bedstraw has small, narrow leaves that appear in whorls on its angular stems. The stems carry frothy heads of tiny, yellow flowers that appear in dense clusters.

Where to find

Widespread.

Habitats

Roeddech chi yn gwybod?

Historically, lady's bedstraw was used to curdle milk in the process of cheese-making - a convenient vegetarian replacement for rennet, which is made from the stomach lining of cows.