Galium uliginosum is one of several members of this genus to have backwards-pointing bristles along its (four-angled) stem and leaves, and having leaves that terminate in a small spike
Common name:
Fen bedstraw
Family:
Scientific name:
Galium uliginosum
Main flower color:
Range:
Scattered areas across most of the UK; absent from the Scottish Highlands
Height:
Up to 70 cm
Habitat:
Fens, bogs, pond margins, damp grassland, often calcareous
Flowers:
Small - around 3 mm in diameter, arranged in an open, branched cluster. Flowers have two styles, and, usually, four stamens and four ovate, white petals; less often five stamens and five petals
Leaves:
Narrowly lanceolate, terminating in a short spine, and lined by tiny, backwards-pointing bristles along the margins, similar to the stems. In whorls of six to eight. Leaves have a single vein
Season:
June to August
Rarity:
★★★★★
