''Galium album'', the white bedstraw or hedge bedstraw, is a herbaceous

annual plant An annual plant is a plant that completes its life cycle, from germination to the production of seeds, within one growing season, and then dies. The length of growing seasons and period in which they take place vary according to geographical ...

of the family Rubiaceae.

Description

The stems can grow to at least 150 cm and are more or less erect with ascending branches. The stem is square in section with slight flanges. The plant is relatively hairless with shiny leaves and stem. Flowers are white or yellowish.Clapham, A. R., Tutin, T. G. and Warburg, E. F. (1987). ''Excursion Flora of the British Isles.'' Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. . p. 302. The fruit are hairless.Michalková, Eleonóra. 1993. Biología, Bot. (Bratislava) 48(1): 48

Habitat and distribution

''Galium album'' is widespread over much of Europe, being native to a large region from Britain to Morocco, east to Turkey and Western Siberia. It is naturalized in Ireland, Scandinavia, Greenland and South Australia.Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
/ref> It is found in pastures, grassy banks, etc., especially on dry calcareous soils. In Britain, ''G. album'' is local in lowland England, rare in the north and very rare in Scotland.

Subspecies

Four subspecies are currently (May 2014) recognized: *''Galium album'' subsp. ''album'' - most of the range of the species *''Galium album ''subsp''. prusense'' (K.Koch) Ehrend. & Krendl - Greece, Bulgaria, Crimea, Turkey, Caucasus *''Galium album'' subsp. ''pycnotrichum'' (Heinr. Braun) Kren - from Poland south to Greece and Turkey *''Galium album ''subsp''. suberectum'' (Klokov) Michalk -

Carpathian Mountains The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians () are a range of mountains forming an arc across Central Europe. Roughly long, it is the third-longest European mountain range after the Urals at and the Scandinavian Mountains at . The range stretches ...

of western Ukraine

References

External links

USDA Plants Profile: ''Galium album''
*
BiolibTropicosAltervista Flora Italiana
{{Taxonbar, from=Q160265 album Flora of Europe Flora of Turkey Flora of Siberia Flora of South Australia Flora of Greenland Flora of Russia Flora of Ukraine Plants described in 1768 Taxa named by Philip Miller