''Galium sylvaticum'', commonly known as Scotch mist or wood bedstraw, is a plant species of the genus

Rubiaceae The Rubiaceae are a 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 interpetiolar stipules ...

. Its genus name, Galium, is derived from the Greek word for "

milk Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfed human infants) before they are able to digest solid food. Immune factors and immune-modulati ...

," apparently because some species have been used to

curdle Curdling is the breaking of an emulsion or colloid into large parts of different composition through the physio-chemical processes of flocculation, creaming, and coalescence. Curdling is purposeful in the production of cheese curd and tofu; un ...

milk. It is native to central

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, the former

Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label= Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavij ...

and smaller countries in between.Altervista Flora Italiana
/ref> It is also naturalized in scattered locations in North America (

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and

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). It is often found in anthropogenic (man-made or disturbed) habitats, forest edges, meadows and fields. It is a perennial, branching herb with thin stems. Its leaves are in whorls of six, each narrowly linear. Flowers are in open terminal

panicles 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 panicle are ...

, white and four-petaled.

References

External links

*
USDA Plants profile, Scotch mist, ''Galium sylvaticum'' Tela Botanica, Gaillet des bois
* ttp://www.botanische-spaziergaenge.at/viewtopic.php?f=65&t=156 Botanische Spaziergaenge, Bilder von Österreichs Flora, ''Galium sylvaticum'' / (Eigentliches) Wald- Labkraut sylvaticum Flora of Europe Flora of Italy Flora of Germany Flora of the Netherlands Flora of Belgium Flora of Poland Flora of Austria Flora of the Czech Republic Flora of Slovakia Flora of Switzerland Flora of Hungary Flora of Croatia Flora of Serbia Flora of Kosovo Flora of Slovenia Flora of Bosnia and Herzegovina Plants described in 1762 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus {{galium-stub