Galium odoratum

Last updated

Galium odoratum
Waldmeister(Mai).JPG
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Gentianales
Family: Rubiaceae
Genus: Galium
Species:
G. odoratum
Binomial name
Galium odoratum
Synonyms [2]
  • Asperula odorataL.
  • Galium matrisylvaF.H.Wigg.
  • Asperula odoraSalisb.
  • Chlorostemma odoratum(L.) Fourr.
  • Asperula matrisylvaGilib.
  • Asperula zangezurensisHuseynov.
  • Asterophyllum asperulaSchimp. & Spenn. in F.C.L.Spenner
  • Asterophyllum sylvaticumSchimp. & Spenn. in F.C.L.Spenner
  • Asperula eugeniaeK.Richt.
  • Galium odoratum var. eugeniae(K.Richt.) Ehrend. in E.Janchen

Galium odoratum, the sweet woodruff [1] or sweetscented bedstraw, [3] 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, [2] China and Japan. [4] It is also sparingly naturalised in scattered locations in the United States and Canada. [5] It is widely cultivated for its flowers and its sweet-smelling foliage. [6] [7] [8]

Contents

A herbaceous plant, it grows to 30–50 cm (12–20 in) long, often lying flat on the ground or supported by other plants.

It owes its sweet smell to the odoriferous agent coumarin, and is sometimes used as a flavouring agent due to its chemical content.

Description

Fruits Waldmeisterfruchte.jpg
Fruits

The leaves are simple, lanceolate, glabrous, 2–5 cm (0.79–1.97 in) 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. [9] [10]

This plant prefers partial to full shade in moist, rich soils. In dry summers it needs frequent watering. Propagation is by crown division, separation of the rooted stems, or digging up of the barely submerged perimeter stolons. It is ideal as a groundcover or border accent in woody, acidic gardens where other shade plants fail to thrive. Deer and chickens avoid eating it (Northeast US).

Uses and health concern

As the epithet odoratum suggests, the plant is strongly scented, the sweet scent being derived from coumarin. This scent increases on wilting and then persists on drying, and the dried plant is used in potpourri and as a moth deterrent. It was, and partially is, used to flavour May wine (called Maibowle or Maitrank in German), sweet juice punch, syrup for beer (Berliner Weisse), brandy, jelly, jam, a soft drink (Tarhun, which is Georgian), ice cream, and herbal tea. Also very popular are sweet woodruff flavoured jellies, with and without alcohol. [11] In Germany, it was and to some extent still is also used to flavour sherbet powder, which features prominently in Günter Grass' novel The Tin Drum .

However, industrial usage of the plant for sweets was prohibited in Germany in 1974, due to coumarin, the flavorant found in woodruff, being toxic to rats and mice in studies. It has however not been found to be harmful to humans, even in large doses, in which it follows a different metabolic pathway. [12] The flavour is still popular for sweets in Germany, but is achieved artificially with 6-methyl coumarin. Products targeted towards adults, such as alcoholic drinks, are still permitted to include coumarin, in limited quantities. [13]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spearmint</span> Species of mint

Spearmint, scientific name Mentha spicata, also known as garden mint, common mint, lamb mint and mackerel mint, is native to Europe and southern temperate Asia, extending from Ireland in the west to southern China in the east. It is naturalized in many other temperate parts of the world, including northern and southern Africa, North America, and South America. It is used as a flavouring in food and herbal teas. The aromatic oil, called oil of spearmint, is also used as a flavoring and sometimes as a scent.

<i>Prunus laurocerasus</i> Species of plant

Prunus laurocerasus, also known as cherry laurel, common laurel and sometimes English laurel in North America, is an evergreen species of cherry (Prunus), native to regions bordering the Black Sea in southwestern Asia and southeastern Europe, from Albania and Bulgaria east through Turkey to the Caucasus Mountains and northern Iran.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lovage</span> Species of flowering plant

Lovage, Levisticum officinale, is a tall perennial plant, the sole species in the genus Levisticum in the family Apiaceae, subfamily Apioideae. It has been long cultivated in Europe and the leaves are used as an herb, the roots as a vegetable, and the seeds as a spice, especially in southern European cuisine. Its flavour and smell are reminiscent both of celery and parsley, only more intense and spicy than either. The seeds can be used in the same way as fennel seeds.

<i>Kalmia</i> Genus of flowering plants in the heath family Ericaceae

Kalmia is a genus of about ten species of evergreen shrubs from 0.2–5 m tall, in the family Ericaceae (heath). They are native to North America and Cuba. They grow in acidic soils, with different species in wet acid bog habitats and dry, sandy soils.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Redcurrant</span> Species of flowering plant in the gooseberry family Grossulariaceae

The redcurrant or red currant is a member of the genus Ribes in the gooseberry family. It is native to western Europe. The species is widely cultivated and has escaped into the wild in many regions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coumarin</span> Aromatic chemical compound

Coumarin or 2H-chromen-2-one is an aromatic organic chemical compound with formula C9H6O2. Its molecule can be described as a benzene molecule with two adjacent hydrogen atoms replaced by an unsaturated lactone ring −(CH)=(CH)−(C=O)−O−, forming a second six-membered heterocycle that shares two carbons with the benzene ring. It belongs to the benzopyrone chemical class and considered as a lactone.

<i>Alyxia stellata</i> Species of plant

Alyxia stellata, known as maile in Hawaiian, is a species of flowering plant in the dogbane family, Apocynaceae, that is native to Hawaii. It grows as either a twining liana, scandent shrub, or small erect shrub, and is one of the few vines that are endemic to the islands. The leaves are usually ternate, sometimes opposite, and can show both types on the same stem. Flowers are quite inconspicuous and have a sweet and light fragrance of honey. The bark is most fragrant and exudes a slightly sticky, milky sap when punctured, characteristic of the family Apocynaceae. The entire plant contains coumarin, a sweet-smelling compound that is also present in vanilla grass, woodruff and mullein. Fruit are oval and dark purple when ripe. Maile is a morphologically variable plant and the Hawaiian names reflect this.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Potpourri</span> Mixture of dried flowers and other naturally fragrant plant material

Potpourri is a mixture of dried, naturally fragrant plant materials used to provide a gentle natural scent, commonly in residential settings. It is often placed in a decorative bowl.

<i>Galium verum</i> Species of plant

Galium verum is a herbaceous perennial plant of the family Rubiaceae. It is widespread across most of Europe, North Africa, and temperate Asia from Israel, Lebanon and Turkey to Japan and Kamchatka. It is naturalized in Tasmania, New Zealand, Canada, and the northern half of the United States.

<i>Hierochloe odorata</i> Sweet grass, an aromatic herb

Hierochloe odorata or Anthoxanthum nitens is an aromatic herb native to northern Eurasia and North America. It is considered sacred by many Indigenous peoples in Canada and the United States. It is used as a smudge in herbal medicine and in the production of distilled beverages. It owes its distinctive sweet scent to the presence of coumarin.

<i>Sambucus nigra</i> Species of flowering plant in the moschatel family Adoxaceae

Sambucus nigra is a species complex of flowering plants in the family Adoxaceae native to most of Europe. Common names include elder, elderberry, black elder, European elder, European elderberry, and European black elderberry. It grows in a variety of conditions including both wet and dry fertile soils, primarily in sunny locations. The plant is widely grown as an ornamental shrub or small tree. Both the flowers and the berries have a long tradition of culinary use, primarily for cordial and wine.

<i>Anthoxanthum odoratum</i> Species of grass

Anthoxanthum odoratum is a short-lived perennial grass, commonly known as sweet vernal grass, that is native to acidic grassland in Eurasia and northern Africa. It is grown as a lawn grass and a house plant, due to its sweet scent, and can also be found on unimproved pastures and meadows. The specific epithet odoratum is Latin for 'odorous'.

<i>Calycanthus floridus</i> Species of flowering plant

Calycanthus floridus, or commonly known as the eastern sweetshrub, Carolina all spice, or spicebush, is a species of flowering shrub in the family Calycanthaceae. It is identifiable by its dark red flowers and fragrant scent. It is non-invasive and is found in the Southeastern United States region. The Nature Conservancy considers its conservation status to be G5, globally secure, indicating it is at low risk of extinction. It is presumed to have been extirpated from Ohio.

<i>Galium triflorum</i> Species of plant

Galium triflorum is a herbaceous plant of the family Rubiaceae. It is widespread in northern Europe, eastern Asia, the Middle East and Indian subcontinent, and North America. The plant is considered a noxious weed in New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut and Massachusetts.

<i>Galium boreale</i> Species of flowering plant

Galium boreale or northern bedstraw is a species of perennial flowering plant in the family Rubiaceae. It is widespread over the temperate and subarctic regions of Europe, Asia and North America including most of Canada and the northern United States.

<i>Polygonatum odoratum</i> Species of flowering plant

Polygonatum odoratum, the angular Solomon's seal or scented Solomon's seal, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae, native to Europe, the Caucasus, Siberia, the Russian Far East, China, Mongolia, Korea, Nepal and Japan. In the United Kingdom it is one of three native species of the genus, the others being P. multiflorum and P. verticillatum.

<i>Sarcococca confusa</i> Species of flowering plant

Sarcococca confusa, the sweet box, is a species of flowering plant in the family Buxaceae, probably native to western China. It is an evergreen shrub growing to 2 m (7 ft) tall by 1 m (3 ft) broad, with glossy green ovate leaves and honey-scented white flowers in winter, followed by glossy black spherical fruits, 5 mm in diameter.

<i>Sagittaria australis</i> Species of aquatic plant

Sagittaria australis, the Appalachian arrowhead or longbeak arrowhead, is a plant found in North America. It is a perennial herb up to 130 centimetres tall. It is an unusual Sagittaria species in that it has a 5-winged petiole. The flowers are up to 3 cm (1 in) in diameter, white, producing an achene with a recurved beak.

Aromatised wine is a wine flavoured with aromatic herbs and spices. These are classified by their alcohol content and the flavourings and other ingredients used. The European Union defines three categories which are: 'aromatised wine', 'aromatised wine-based drink' and 'aromatised wine-product cocktail'. Drinks which have an alcohol content of 1.2% abv or less, cannot be labelled as containing wine.

<i>Prasophyllum odoratum</i> Species of orchid

Prasophyllum odoratum, commonly known as the fragrant leek orchid, Rogers scented leek orchid or sweet leek orchid is a species of orchid endemic to south-eastern Australia. It has a single tubular leaf and up to fifty fragrant green and white flowers with reddish marks.

References

  1. 1 2 "Galium odoratum". Germplasm Resources Information Network . Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture . Retrieved 2008-05-16.
  2. 1 2 "World Checklist of Selected Plant Families: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew". apps.kew.org.
  3. "Gallium odoratum". Missouri Botanical Garden . Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  4. "Galium odoratum in Flora of China @ efloras.org". www.efloras.org.
  5. "Biota of North America Program".
  6. "Galium odoratum". White Flower Farm.
  7. "Sweet Woodruff – Monrovia – Sweet Woodruff". www.monrovia.com.
  8. "Galium odoratum". Royal Horticultural Society (London UK). Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  9. 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.
  10. "Galium odoratum [Caglio odoroso]". luirig.altervista.org.
  11. "Sweet Woodruff Vodka Jelly – Sweet & Wild". www.sweet-and-wild.com. Archived from the original on 2014-04-07. Retrieved 2012-05-13.
  12. Lake, B.G (1999). "Coumarin Metabolism, Toxicity and Carcinogenicity: Relevance for Human Risk Assessment". Food and Chemical Toxicology. 37 (4): 423–453. doi:10.1016/S0278-6915(99)00010-1. PMID   10418958.
  13. "Echter Waldmeister | Deutsche Gesellschaft für Ernährung e. V." dge.de. Archived from the original on 2 March 2013. Retrieved 17 January 2022.