Galium saxatile or heath bedstraw[1] is a species of flowering plant in the family Rubiaceae. It is related to cleavers.
| Heath bedstraw | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Gentianales |
| Family: | Rubiaceae |
| Genus: | Galium |
| Species: | G. saxatile
|
| Binomial name | |
| Galium saxatile | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Galium hercynicum Weigel | |
Galium saxatile is a perennial mat-forming herb, found on grassland, moors, heaths and woods. It can reach a height of 20 centimetres (7.9 in), and flowers in the UK from May to August. The stems are hairless and four sided. Its leaves are 8–25 millimetres (0.31–0.98 in) long, with 6–8 per whorl, and are lanceolate or obovate in shape. The mountain ringlet butterfly uses the plant for nectar.[2][3]
Galium saxatile avoids calcareous substrate and mainly grows on light siliceous soils[4][5] and is widespread across much of northern and central Europe from Portugal and Ireland to Scandinavia, France, Germany, Poland, Ukraine and Russia. It is also reportedly sparingly naturalized in Quebec, California and the Falkland Islands.[6][7]
Gallery
edit
References
edit- ^ BSBI List 2007 (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
- ^ "Heath Bedstraw Galium saxatile". Postcode plants database. London: Natural History Museum. Retrieved 19 August 2013.
- ^ Biota of North America Project
- ^ Tansley, A. G. (1917). "On Competition Between Galium Saxatile L. (G. Hercynicum Weig.) and Galium Sylvestre Poll. (G. Asperum Schreb.) On Different Types of Soil". Journal of Ecology. 5 (3/4): 173–179. doi:10.2307/2255655. ISSN 0022-0477.
- ^ Mirek, Zbigniew; Piękoś-Mirkowa, Halina (1984). "Distribution and habitats of Galium saxatile L. in the Carpathian Mountains". Acta Societatis Botanicorum Poloniae. 53 (3): 419–427. doi:10.5586/asbp.1984.037. ISSN 2083-9480.
- ^ Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
- ^ Altervista Flora Italiana
- The Wild Flower Key British Isles – NW Europe by Francis Rose
- Wild Flowers of Britain by Roger Phillips
External links
edit
- Skye Flora
- Luontoportti, Nature Gate, Heath Bedstraw
- Tela Botanica
- Den Virtuella floran, Stenmåra, Galium saxatile L.
- Besançon, Gaillet des rochers, Galium saxatile Archived 2014-05-08 at the Wayback Machine
- Wilde planten in Nederland en België, Liggend walstro, Plat slyt, Gaillet des rochers, Harzer Labkraut, Heath Bedstraw Archived 2014-05-08 at the Wayback Machine
 | This Galium-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |