THE BEDSTRAW FAMILY 
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very minute and inconspicuous, the fruit smaller than in any other British species, the stem slender 
and rough, about 6 inches long. 
Rare. Dry, sandy places and old walls in the eastern counties. June — July. Annual. 
Heath Bedstraw. (Galium saxatile, Linn.) — Flowers very small, white, star-like, in 
compact, short clusters. [As described in the genus Galium.] Fruit dry, roughened, separating 
into 2 very small, i -seeded cases. Stems 5-6 inches long, prostrate, numerous, much branched 
and weak, growing in dense tufts ; with very small, oblong, stalkless leaves, abruptly pointed, 
smooth, fringed with small prickles, 6 growing in a circle round each joint (node). [ Plate 61. 
Common. On heaths and commons. June — August. Perennial. 
Slender or Mountain Bedstraw. (Galium sylvestre, Poll.)— A very similar species 
to the last, but stiffer and more erect, with circles of 6-8, usually 8, narrower leaves. 
Rare. Limestone uplands and hills. June — August. Perennial. 
Water Bedstraw or Marsh Bedstraw. (Galium palustre, Linn.)— Flowers white, 
star-like, in few-flowered, loose clusters. [As described in the genus Galium. ] Fruit dry and 
slightly roughened (shagreened), dividing when ripe into 2 small, i-seeded cases. Stems 1-3 feet 
high, square, weak, straggling, and much branched ; with narrow, blunt, stalkless leaves, often rough 
on the edges, shining, 4-6 growing in a circle round each joint (node). 
Very common. Watery places. June — August. Perennial. 
Rough Marsh Bedstraw or Swamp Bedstraw. (Galium uliginosum, Linn.)— A 
very similar species to the last, but smaller, with smaller clusters of flowers ; fruit rougher ; stems 
more erect, shorter, brittle, and square, with prickles on the angles ; and 6-8«stalkless leaves with 
prickly margins, in a circle round each joint (node). 
Common. Watery places. July — August. Perennial. 
Goose-Grass or Cleavers. (Galium Aparine, Linn.)— Flowers white, in clusters 
generally of 2-5 together, rising from the axils of the leaves. [As described in the genus 
Galium.] Fruit dry, rough, covered with short hooked bristles, separating when ripe into 2 
small, i-seeded cases. Stem 1-5 feet long, square, and slightly thickened at the joints, straggling, 
light green, the angles rough with hooked prickles ; leaves narrow or lance-shaped, stalkless, often 
an inch or more long, rough with hooked prickles, 6-8 in a circle round each joint (node). 
A favourite food of geese. [ Plate 61. 
Very common. Hedges and waste or cultivated ground. June — July. Annual. 
Hispid-fruited Corn Bedstraw. (Galium Vaillantii, DC.)— A very similar species to 
the Goose-grass (Galium Aparine), but with very small, greenish flowers, and stems, leaves, and 
fruit less prickly. 
Very rare. In fields near Saffron Walden, Essex, and Warwickshire. July. Annual. 
Rough-fruited Corn Bedstraw. (Galium tricorne, Stokes.)— Another similar 
species to the Goose-grass (Galium Aparine), but with the flowers smaller, of a yellower-white, in 
clusters of 3 ; the fruit larger, rough, but without hooked prickles, drooping ; and the stem and 
leaves smaller. 
Not common. Dry, chalky fields. June — October. Annual. 
WOODRUFF. (ASPERULA, LINN.) — Differing from the Bedstraw (Galium) mainly in the 
petals being united at the base into a tube as long as or longer than the lobes. Flowers 
white, pink, or blue, in clusters (cymes or panicles). Sepals 5, entirely combined with the seed- 
case or with 5 minute teeth ; petals 4, rarely 3, united at the base into a funnel- or bell-shaped 
tube, and separating into the same number of lobes; stamens 4; carpels 2. Fruit small, dry, 
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