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''Galium odoratum'', sweetscented bedstraw, is a flowering perennial plant in the family Rubiaceae, native to much of Europe from Spain and Ireland to Russia, as well as Western Siberia, Turkey, Iran, the Caucasus, China and Japan.〔(Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families )〕 It is also sparingly naturalized in scattered locations in the United States and Canada.〔(Biota of North America Program )〕 It is widely cultivated for its flowers and its sweet-smelling foliage.〔(White Flower Farm (Litchfield Connecticut USA) )〕〔(Monrovia Nurseries (Azusa California USA) )〕〔(Royal Horticultural Society (London UK) )〕 A herbaceous plant, it grows to long, often lying flat on the ground or supported by other plants. Its vernacular names include woodruff, sweet woodruff, and wild baby's breath; master of the woods would be a literal translation of the German ''Waldmeister''. It is sometimes confused with ''Galium triflorum'' and ''Galium verum''. It owes its sweet smell to the odiferous agent coumarin, and is sometimes used as a flavoring agent due to its chemical content. ==Growth== The leaves are simple, lanceolate, glabrous, long, and borne in whorls of 6–9. The small (4–7 mm diameter) flowers are produced in cymes, each white with four petals joined together at the base. The fruits are 2–4 mm diameter, produced singly, and each is covered in tiny hooked bristles which help disperse them by sticking temporarily to clothing and animal fur.〔Gleason, H. A. & A.J. Cronquist. 1991. Manual of the Vascular Plants of Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada (ed. 2) i–910. New York Botanical Garden, Bronx. 〕〔(Altervista Flora Italiana )〕 This plant prefers partial to full shade in moist, rich soils. In dry summers it needs frequent irrigation. Propagation is by crown division, separation of the rooted stems, or digging up of the barely submerged perimeter stolons. It is ideal as a ground cover or border accent in woody, acidic gardens where other shade plants fail to thrive. Deer avoid eating it (Northeast US). 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Galium odoratum」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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