Woodruff

Galium odoratum

SIZE AND DESCRIPTION

Slender fragrant perennial to 25cm tall, with creeping rhizomes and erect stems. Leaves usually 6–9 in each whorl, their margins with tiny, forwards-pointing teeth. Flowers are white and fragrant, forming dense clusters. Also called Hay Plant, Kiss-me-quick and Sweet Grass.

DISTRIBUTION

Found in woodland throughout much of Europe, North Africa and northern Asia.

USES

Leaves and flowers make a good tea and are used to flavour wines for May cups; flowers can be added to salads. A traditional strewing herb containing coumarin, the compound that gives new-mown hay its distinctive scent. It is contained in some medicines that are used for treating haemorrhoids and preventing thrombosis.

Lady’s Bedstraw

Galium verum

SIZE AND DESCRIPTION

Perennial to 60 cm tall, with creeping stolons and much-branched and four-angled stems. Leaves are very narrow, and borne in whorls of 8–12. Flowers are bright yellow, four-lobed and form a branched spike. Also called Bed Flower, Cheese Rennet and Maid’s Hair.

DISTRIBUTION

Native to grassland throughout most of Europe and western Asia.

USES

Once used as a stuffing for mattresses, hence its name, but most of its old uses were connected with curdling milk. It is said to be less effective with modern milk, though it can still be used to impart a rich yellow colour to cheese.

Cleavers

Galium aparine

SIZE AND DESCRIPTION

Rough and minutely prickly annual that scrambles through surrounding vegetation. Stems reach 1.5m and are four-angled, with 6–9 leaves in each whorl. Flowers are tiny, whitish and four-lobed. Fruits are burr-like, and consist of two fused globes covered with hooked bristles. Also called Goose Grass, Bur Weed, Scratch Weed and Stick-a-back.

DISTRIBUTION

Native across Europe, and northern and western Asia.

USES

An infusion from the dried aerial parts may be used as a diuretic for cleansing the lymphatic system and reducing swollen glands. It may also help against eczema, psoriasis, sores and wounds, and dandruff.

Yellow-bark

Cinchona calisaya

SIZE AND DESCRIPTION

Evergreen tree to 12m tall. Leaves are oval to oblong. Flowers are small, fragrant, pink, white or red, and borne in terminal clusters. Fruit is a small capsule containing many seeds.

DISTRIBUTION

Native to the eastern Andes in South America, and introduced to Asia, where it is grown on plantations. Also called Peruvian Bark, Crown Bark and Fever Tree.

USES

The flavouring used in tonic water. Bark contains a large number of alkaloids, particularly quinine, which is used for fevers and heart problems, and is the most effective treatment for malaria. It can be toxic, and as a drug should only be used under medical supervision.