Galium verum - Lady's Bedstraw (Rubiaceae)

This flower got its name from a use in former times: it was dried and used for making bedding. Like goose grass and the other bedstraws, Lady's Bedstraw has four tiny flower petals. The flowers are typically just 3 mm across.

Lady's Bedstraw

Lady's Bedstraw likes dry habitats and so sand dunes are a good place to see it.

Lady's bedstraw is common throughout the UK, Ireland and can also be found in many countries in northern and central Europe, including Slovenia. The peak flowering period is July and August, and the flowers smell like hay when in full bloom. This plant is mainly found in dry grasslands - sand dunes are a good place to look for it.

Galium verum flowering in sand dunes

Lady's bedstraw is a source of food for caterpillars of the Broad-bordered Bee Hawk-moth.

The photographs on this page were taken at Kenfig National Nature Reserve in South Wales in July.