Galium album
Galium album, common names white bedstraw and upright hedge bedstraw, is an annual, herbaceous plant of the family Rubiaceae and is native to much of Europe.
Description
The stems can grow to at least and are more or less erect with ascending branches. The stem is square in sections with slight flanges. The plant is relatively hairless with shiny leaves and stem. Flowers are white or yellowish. The fruits are hairless.Distribution and habitat
Galium album is widespread over much of Europe, native to a large region from Britain to Morocco, east to Turkey and Western Siberia. It has been introduced and is naturalized in Ireland, Scandinavia, Greenland and South Australia. It is found in pastures and grassy banks, especially on dry calcareous soils. In Britain, G. album is local in lowland England, rare in the north, and very rare in Scotland.Subspecies
Five subspecies were accepted by Plants of the World Online as of 2024, listed here with their native distributions:- Galium album subsp. album – most of the range of the species
- Galium album subsp. amani Ehrend. & Schönb.-Tem. – parts of Lebanon, Syria, and Turkey
- Galium album subsp. prusense Ehrend. & Krendl – Greece, Bulgaria, Crimea, Turkey, and Caucasus
- Galium album subsp. pycnotrichum Krendl – from Poland south to Greece and Turkey
- Galium album subsp. suberectum Michalk. – Carpathian Mountains of western Ukraine