Galium mollugo L. ssp. erectum (Huds.) Briq.
Galium mollugo L. var. erectum (Huds.) Domin
Galium mollugo L.
Smooth bedstraw, false baby’s breath, upright bedstraw, upright hedge bedstraw, white bedstraw, wild madder
A European native, smooth bedstraw was introduced and now common in North America. This and related plants are called bedstraws because a fragrant-smelling yellow-flowered species, Galium verum, was used to stuff mattresses in medieval times.
Plants: Smooth bedstraw is vine-like, growing to a length of up to 4′ (1.2 m). Lower stems often lie on the ground, with upper portions of the plant clambering over other vegetation. Stems are square in cross-section, and may be purplish in the spring, turning green as the plant matures. Unlike catchweed bedstraw, which feels sandpapery to the touch, smooth bedstraw is smooth.
Leaves: Regular whorls of 6-8 leaves every few inches. They present a neat, orderly appearance. Leaves are 1½–2″ (3.8–5 cm) long.
Flowers: If it is flowering, its tiny flowers, like twinkling stars, occur in white masses that stand out in meadows. The 4-petaled flowers are white and about ⅛″ (3.2 mm) around, on a stalk that is longer than the flower is wide. Flowers appear from May to September.
Fruits: Each carpel contains a seed that is convex on one side and concave on the other.
Habitats: Hedges, bushes, paths, meadows and slopes at elevations up to 1.3 mi (2.1 km) above sea level.
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Some Gallium species. |
Online References:
Galium erectum Huds.
Galium mollugo L. ssp. erectum (Huds.) Briq.
Galium mollugo L. var. erectum (Huds.) Domin
Galium mollugo L. ssp. erectum (Huds.) Briq.
Galium mollugo L. var. erectum (Huds.) Domin
6/27/2021 · Maquoit Bay Preserve, Brunswick, Maine · ≈ 4½ × 7″ (11 × 17 cm) 
6/12/2023 · Viles Arboretum, Augusta, Maine 
6/13/2016 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton, Groton, Massachusetts 
4/21/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 7 × 11″ (18 × 27 cm) 
5/29/2010 · Maine Audubon Gilsland Farm Audubon Center, Falmouth, Maine · ≈ 11 × 7″ (27 × 18 cm) 
ID is uncertain 
6/13/2016 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton, Groton, Massachusetts 
7/11/2026 · Spear Farm Estuary Preserve, Yarmouth, Maine · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (17 × 11 cm) 
6/20/2010 · Blue Hill Reservation, Milford, Massachusetts · ≈ 6 × 4½″ (14 × 11 cm) 
6/13/2016 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton, Groton, Massachusetts 
6/13/2025 · River Point Conservation Area, Falmouth, Maine 
5/30/2025 · Bass Falls Preserve, Alna, Maine · ≈ 4½ × 7″ (12 × 18 cm) 
6/21/2025 · Hawk Mountain, Waterford, Maine · ≈ 7 × 5″ (17 × 13 cm) 
6/9/2017 · Acton Arboretum, Acton, Massachusetts · ≈ 4 × 6″ (11 × 16 cm) 
6/4/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Ayer, Massachusetts · ≈ 10 × 15″ (26 × 39 cm) 
4/6/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 1 × 1½′ (34 × 45 cm) ID is uncertain 
6/17/2013 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Nashoba Hospital, Massachusetts · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (16 × 11 cm) 
6/4/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Ayer, Massachusetts · ≈ 6 × 9″ (15 × 23 cm) 
6/13/2016 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton, Groton, Massachusetts 
8/15/2021 · Bass Falls Preserve, Alna, Maine · ≈ 5 × 4½″ (13 × 11 cm) 
6/22/2016 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton, Groton, Massachusetts 
6/13/2016 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton, Groton, Massachusetts 
9/25/2009 · Nashua River Rail Trail, near Hospital, Ayer, Massachusetts · ≈ 11 × 7″ (27 × 18 cm) 
6/24/2015 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Ctr, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 6 × 7″ (14 × 16 cm) 
5/30/2025 · Bass Falls Preserve, Alna, Maine · ≈ 5 × 8″ (13 × 20 cm) 
6/27/2021 · Maquoit Bay Preserve, Brunswick, Maine · ≈ 3½ × 4½″ (9 × 11 cm) 
6/22/2014 · Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Hollis, New Hampshire · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (18 × 12 cm) 
6/13/2016 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton, Groton, Massachusetts 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Magnoliopsida | Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves |
| Subclass | Asteridae | A large class that encompasses asters |
| Order | Gentianales | Gentians, coffee, gardenias, frangipani, many others |
| Family | Rubiaceae | Coffee, madder, and bedstraw family |
| Genus | Galium | From Greek gala, “milk,” because some Galium species were used to curdle milk |
| Species | mollugo | An old name for the genus Galium, now used in the family Aizoacaea instead |
Galium mollugo description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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