HEATH BEDSTRAW

Galium saxatile

Bedstraw Family [Rubiaceae]

month8may month8jun month8june month8jul month8july month8aug

status
statusZnative
 
flower
flower8white
 
inner
inner8cream
 
morph
morph8actino
 
petals
petalsZ4
 
stem
stem8square
 
smell
smell8sickly
sickly
sex
sexZbisexual
 

20th June 2012, Taxal Moor, Whaley Bridge, Derbys. Photo: © RWD
By far the commonest bedstraw of acid soils. Spreading, mat-forming and sprawling, but only up to 20cm high (unlike Hedge Bedstraw which reaches up to 120cm).


9th June 2018, Waitby Greenriggs, Kirby Lonsdale, Yorks. Photo: © RWD
Birds-eye view. Sprawling along the ground with some spikes erect.


9th June 2018, Waitby Greenriggs, Kirby Lonsdale, Yorks. Photo: © RWD
Same plant, some stems are broken, others let to live another day. There are between 6 to 8 leaflets in a whorl.


9th June 2018, Waitby Greenriggs, Kirby Lonsdale, Yorks. Photo: © RWD
Spreads horizontally before making a break upwards. This specimen conveniently on top of a wall at arm height.


9th June 2018, Waitby Greenriggs, Kirby Lonsdale, Yorks. Photo: © RWD
The flowersat the end of each stem are not yet fully developed


9th June 2018, Waitby Greenriggs, Kirby Lonsdale, Yorks. Photo: © RWD
Has whorls of leaves with between 6 to 8 leaves in a whorl, the whorls of various diameters.


9th June 2018, Waitby Greenriggs, Kirby Lonsdale, Yorks. Photo: © RWD
A whorl at every node (where a stalk branches off).


9th June 2018, Waitby Greenriggs, Kirby Lonsdale, Yorks. Photo: © RWD
The stems are square and ribbed.


9th June 2018, Waitby Greenriggs, Kirby Lonsdale, Yorks. Photo: © RWD
Between 6 to 8 whorls of leaves around every junction, and between 7 to 10mm long.


9th June 2018, Waitby Greenriggs, Kirby Lonsdale, Yorks. Photo: © RWD
The leaves are fairly wide and widest just beyond the middle of their length. The edges of the leaves have tiny forwardly-directed bristles and a longer mucronate tip at the end.


9th June 2018, Waitby Greenriggs, Kirby Lonsdale, Yorks. Photo: © RWD
The obverse of the leaf. They have just one rib, down the centre, and which is raised on the obverse.


9th June 2018, Waitby Greenriggs, Kirby Lonsdale, Yorks. Photo: © RWD
These flowers are not yet open.


9th June 2018, Waitby Greenriggs, Kirby Lonsdale, Yorks. Photo: © RWD
Nor these flowers.


6th June 2009, Mottistone, IOW. Photo: (CC by 2.0) Mike Cotterill
But these are in flower.


24th May 2011, the common, Lake, IOW. Photo: (CC by 2.0) Geoff Toone
The flowers are 3mm across and nominally have 4 petals [as for all Galium Bedstraws] (but two flowers here have only 3 petals - aberrations do occur).


6th June 2009, Mottistone, IOW. Photo: (CC by 2.0) Mike Cotterill


6th June 2009, Mottistone, IOW. Photo: (CC by 2.0) Mike Cotterill
The fruits are without hairs and have pointed tubercles.


24th May 2011, the common, Lake, IOW. Photo: (CC by 2.0) Geoff Toone
All Bedstraws have 4 petals (but not all species have white petals). They also have 4 anthers.


6th July 2016, Waitby Greenriggs, Kirby Stephen, Yorks.
These specimens were hidden amongst taller grasses so have not yet developed flowers.


6th July 2016, Waitby Greenriggs, Kirby Stephen, Yorks.
Six to eight leaves in a whorl.


6th July 2016, Waitby Greenriggs, Kirby Stephen, Yorks.
The teeth on the edges of leaves are short and forwardly directed.


Easily mistaken for its limestone counterparts : the northern Northern Bedstraw (Galium boreale) and the two southern counterparts Limestone Bedstraw (Galium sterneri) and the rarer Slender Bedstraw (Galium pumilum). Distinction between them hangs on such subtle peculiarities as the presence or absence of minute prickles on the edges of the whorls of leaves, and whether they are forward or backwardly directed, the creaminess or whiteness of the flowers, the number of veins on the leaves, their thinness and shape, and the exact shape of the fruits (when present!).

Many similarities to : Cleavers (Galium aparine) but that has short downward-pointing prickles on each of the four ribs of the stems, which makes it stick to clothing and sheep or other furry animals (whereas Heath Bedstraw has completely hairless stems and forwardly-directed pricles on the edges of its leaves. However, the leaves of Heath Bedstraw,0 at 5-11mm are, much shorter than those of Cleavers at 10-60mm long.

Some similarities to : Marsh Bedstraw (Galium palustre) and its two sub-species, Fen Bedstraw (Galium uliginosum), Hedge Bedstraw, Wall Bedstraw (Galium parisiene) and to (Galium album) and its two sub-species.

Identification of Bedstraws is never easy.

No relation to : Heath Groundsel, Heath Lobelia, Heath Cudweed, Heath Pearlwort, Heath Milkwort, Heath Speedwell, Darley Dale Heath, Prickly Heath, Dorset Heath, Sea Heath, Blue Heath, etc etc [plants with similar names belonging to differing families].

It is native and grows in dry grasslands, moorlands, open rocky woodlands but only on acidic soils up to a height of 1215m!! It is common almost throughout the British Isles.


  Galium saxatile  ⇐ Global Aspect ⇒ Rubiaceae  

Distribution
 family8Bedstraw family8Rubiaceae
 BSBI maps
genus8Galium
Galium
(Bedstraws)

HEATH BEDSTRAW

Galium saxatile

Bedstraw Family [Rubiaceae]