Galium mollugo, common name hedge bedstraw[1] or false baby's breath, is a herbaceous perennial plant of the family Rubiaceae. It shares the name hedge bedstraw with the related European species, Galium album.
| Hedge bedstraw | |
|---|---|
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| Close up image of the Galium mollugo flower under a dissecting microscope | |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Gentianales |
| Family: | Rubiaceae |
| Genus: | Galium |
| Species: | G. mollugo
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| Binomial name | |
| Galium mollugo | |
| Synonyms | |
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Description edit
Galium mollugo can reach a height of 15–100 cm (5.9–39.4 in). The stems are square in cross-section, more or less erect with ascending branches. Starting from the axils of leaves it has inflorescences of small white flowers with a diameter of about 1 to 1.5 cm, with four petals. The flowering period extends from May to September.[2][3]
Habitat edit
Galium mollugo commonly occurs in hedges, bushes, paths, meadows and slopes at an elevation up to 2,100 m (6,900 ft) above sea level.
Distribution edit
Galium mollugo is widely distributed in Europe and North Africa from Denmark, Portugal and Morocco east to the Altay region of Siberia and to the Caucasus. It is naturalized in the Russian Far East, New Zealand, Norfolk Island, Greenland, Argentina, Uruguay, and much of North America. It has been reported from the Rocky Mountains, the Cascade Range, the Sierra Nevadas and the Appalachian Mountains as well as the Great Lakes region. It is classified as a noxious weed in New York, Pennsylvania and much of New England.[4][5][6]
References edit
- ^ BSBI List 2007 (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
- ^ Hickman, J. C. 1993. The Jepson Manual: Higher Plants of California 1–1400. University of California Press, Berkeley.
- ^ Gleason, H. A. & A.J. Cronquist. 1991. Manual of the Vascular Plants of Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada (ed. 2) i–910. New York Botanical Garden, Bronx.
- ^ Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
- ^ Biota of North America Program
- ^ Altervista Flora Italiana
External links edit
Media related to Galium mollugo at Wikimedia Commons- Biolib Galium mollugo
- Flora of Northern Ireland Galium mollugo
- Plants Database Galium mollugo
- Plants for a Future Galium mollugo
- Wilde Planten in Nederland en Belgie, Glad walstro, Galium mollugo
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