looduskalender.ee

Lady`s bedstraw

About ten species of bedstraw grow in Estonia and several of them seem to be quite similar for a beginner plant lover. Let us look at the thin leaves on the stalk of bedstraw – they lie as a circle around the stalk which is called a verticil. The stalk of yellow bedstraw feels round between the fingers while some other species have a rectangular shape. So, we count the leaves in the verticil, each species has a certain number of those: some have four, some have six or more, including yellow bedstraw which has eight to twelve thin and pointy little leaves in the verticil. All species of bedstraw have flowers which consist of four parts and are very small.

 

During current time of blossoming we do not need to look for any other characteristics – only yellow bedstraw have flowers which are completely yellow and have a rather strong aroma, which refers to a good honey plant. Growing areas include both  species-rich and species-poor meadows, well suited are calcareous areas in western Estonia. It is a pioneer-species on moorlands which start to grow vegetation or on shingle banks on seashore, because the seeds spread with wind.

 

A good aid for identifying plants is „Eesti taimede kukeaabits“ (ABC of Estonian plants) by Toomas Kukk; second edition can be found in larger bookstores. In addition to being clear, it`s also a beautiful book.