Galium palustre

{{Short description|Species of plant}}

{{Speciesbox

|name =Marsh bedstraw

|image = Galium palustre.jpeg

|genus = Galium

|species = palustre

|authority = L.

}}

Galium palustre, the common marsh bedstraw{{PLANTS|id=GAPA3|taxon=Galium palustre|accessdate=19 January 2016}} or simply marsh-bedstraw,{{BSBI 2007 |access-date=2014-10-17 }} is a herbaceous annual plant of the family Rubiaceae. This plant is widely distributed, native to virtually every country in Europe, plus Morocco, the Azores, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Western Siberia, Greenland, eastern Canada, St. Pierre & Miquelon, and parts of the United States (primarily the Michigan and the Northeast, but with isolated populations in Tennessee, Montana, Washington and Oregon). The species is classified as a noxious weed in New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont and New Hampshire. It is considered naturalized in Kamchatka, Australia, New Zealand and Argentina.{{cite web | url=http://plants.usda.gov/java/nameSearch?keywordquery=galium+palustre&mode=sciname&submit.x=0&submit.y=0 | title=USDA Plants Database }}[http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/namedetail.do?name_id=87072 Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families][http://bonap.net/MapGallery/County/Galium%20palustre.png Biota of North America Program][http://luirig.altervista.org/flora/taxa/index1.php?scientific-name=galium+palustre Altervista Flora Italiana]

Ecology

In Britain, Galium palustre is part of the British NVC Community M23 (Juncus effusus/acutiflorus – Galium palustre rush-pasture). It is a component of Purple moor grass and rush pastures - a type of Biodiversity Action Plan habitat in the UK. It occurs on poorly drained neutral and acidic soils of the lowlands and upland fringe. It is found in the South West of England, especially in Devon.

Gallery

File:Galium palustre Oulu, Finland 18.07.2013.jpg

File:Galium palustre habitus.jpeg

File:Galium palustre-Sumpf Labkraut.jpg

References

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