Lady’s bedstraw
Legends and the smell of fresh hay have given the plant its name.
Photo: Jens H. Petersen
Photo: Jens H. Petersen
Lady’s bedstraw contains the substance coumarin, with a smell, a bit like the smell of freshly cut hay. It is said that it was the Lady’s bedstraw that was used as bed straw for the Infant Jesus, and that is why it got its common name.
Before Christianity arrived, lady’s bedstraw was associated to the Nordic goddess Freyja, who is the goddess of love, fertility and childbirths. Therefore, Lady’s bedstraw was put in the beds of the women giving birth, in order to facilitate birth.
Lady’s bedstraw has also been used to deter lice and fleas in bedding straw −at least in Denmark.
Today, Lady’s bedstraw is commonly used for making schnapps which, after just a few days, will develop a sweet spicy taste.
Facts:
- Greenhouse location: The exhibition “Fabulous Flowers”
- Danish name: Gul snerre
- Latin name: Galium verum
- Family: The madder family / Rubiaceae
- Natural habitat: Dunes, grassland, heath, steep slopes, and along roads