''Galium boreale'' or northern bedstraw is a species of perennial

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

in the family

Rubiaceae Rubiaceae () is a family (biology), family of flowering plants, commonly known as the coffee, madder, or bedstraw family. It consists of terrestrial trees, shrubs, lianas, or herbs that are recognizable by simple, opposite leaves with Petiole ( ...

. It is widespread over the temperate and subarctic regions of Europe, Asia and North America including most of Canada and the northern United States.

Description

''G. boreale'' is a

perennial plant In horticulture, the term perennial (''wikt:per-#Prefix, per-'' + ''wikt:-ennial#Suffix, -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annual plant, annuals and biennial plant, biennials. It has thus been d ...

that dies back to the ground every winter. Established plants spread by

rhizome In botany and dendrology, a rhizome ( ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and Shoot (botany), shoots from its Node (botany), nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from ...

s, creating colonies of new plants around the original one. The squarish unbranched stems may grow between and tall. The leaves are attached directly to the stem in groups of four; spaced evenly like the spokes of a wheel. Leaves are longer than they are wide and have three prominent veins. The small white flowers grow in a fairly showy

panicle In botany, a panicle is a much-branched inflorescence. (softcover ). Some authors distinguish it from a compound spike inflorescence, by requiring that the flowers (and fruit) be pedicellate (having a single stem per flower). The branches of a p ...

s from the top of the stem. Each individual flower has 4 pointed segments that fold back from a fused tube enclosing the

stamen The stamen (: stamina or stamens) is a part consisting of the male reproductive organs of a flower. Collectively, the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filament ...

s and

pistil Gynoecium (; ; : gynoecia) is most commonly used as a collective term for the parts of a flower that produce ovules and ultimately develop into the fruit and seeds. The gynoecium is the innermost whorl (botany), whorl of a flower; it consists ...

. The lightly perfumed flowers have no calyx. Seeds are formed in pairs in dark fruits that may be covered in short hairs. The Latin specific epithet ''boreale'' means northern.

Habitat and distribution

''Galium boreale'' is found in sunny areas with dry to moist soil in forests, shrubs or

grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominance (ecology), dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes such as clover, and other Herbaceo ...

. It is native to the sub arctic and temperate zones of the Northern Hemisphere. It is listed as endangered in the states of Maryland and Massachusetts.

Ecology

''Galium boreale'' is confirmed as a food plant for the larvae of '' Deilephila elpenor'', '' D. porcellus'', '' Epirrhoe galiata'', '' Eupithecia subumbrata'' and '' Gandaritis pyraliata''.

Taxonomy

The species ''Galium boreale'' was first described by

Carl Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné,#Blunt, Blunt (2004), p. 171. was a Swedish biologist and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the modern system of naming o ...

in 1753 based on the European population. In 1818, ''Galium septentrionale'' Roem. & Schult. was described by

Johann Jacob Roemer Johann Jacob Roemer (8 January 1763, Zürich – 15 January 1819) was a Swiss physician and professor of botany in Zürich, Switzerland. He was also an entomologist. With Austrian botanist Joseph August Schultes, he published the 16th edition of ...

and Josef August Schultes based on the North American population. ''G. septentrionale'' was determined to be a synonym of ''G. boreale'' in 2003. The genus '' Galium'' is a member of the family

Uses

''Galium boreale'' is edible, with a sweet smell and taste, and can be eaten as a wild salad green. Varieties such as ''Galium boreale'' which do not contain the small hooks on the stem are not as palatable as the hooked varieties of ''Galium'', like '' Galium aparine'', but are important plants to remember for survival purposes. ''Galium boreale'' is known as "bedstraw" because it is used as fragrant stuffing for mattresses. There is also chemical evidence for its roots use in red textile dyes during the "Viking age" (year 800 to 1066).

References

External links

*
USDA Plants Profile
{{Taxonbar, from=Q158947 boreale Flora of Asia Flora of Europe Flora of Canada Flora of Greenland Flora of Siberia Flora of the United States Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus