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Saturday, June 25, 2011

I finally know what this lovely little plant is - Sweet Bedstraw, Galium triflorum.

I have long admired the delicate foliage of this lovely little plant blooming on the forest floor on our property in Anchor Bay but until this past week I didn't know the name of it. I sent a photo to Peter Baye and he let me know I had found an uncommon annual herb native to California - Sweet Bedstraw or Galium triflorum. It's another native plant that has medicinal qualities. An infusion of the plant has been used in the treatment of gallstones and kidney complaints. It's aromatic as it dries and is used as stuffing material in mattresses though it would take so many of these little plants that I don't see how that would be possible! It has tiny white flowers that are so small they are difficult to see. Sweet Bedstraw - another forest dweller for me to appreciate on my daily walks with Rick and Huckleberry.

2 comments:

sharon beals said...

Thanks Jeanne, I am learning a lot from this wonderful blog. The word blog doesn't do it justice.

Jeanne Jackson said...

The more I learn, the complexities and beauty of the natural world around me just fill me with wonder. There is still so much to learn. Think of everything my neighbor lost and destroyed when she bulldozed her property and planted non-native grass seed. She will never see this lovely plant. ah, that's just making me sad... There is too much to be happy for - found a new wildflower Saturday!