Royal Dublin
Flower of the Month - Lady’s Bedstraw
Flower of the Month
Lady’s Bedstraw
If you are out playing on the course this Summer and you get a sudden scent of a sweet, sharp honey like smell, seemingly out of nowhere, look around and you will most likely find a dense patch of small golden – yellow flowers close by. This is Lady’s Bedstraw (Galium verum) and can be found growing throughout the rough of Royal Dublin between the months of June and September, it is attracting a variety of pollinators such as bees, butterflies, moths and beetles. As well as being found throughout a wide variety of Irish habitats, Lady’s Bedstraw is widespread across most of Europe, North Africa, and temperate Asia.
The dense patchy nature of the plant is mainly due to its preferred reproductive method, which is stolonic. This means that the plant replicates asexually through the use of what are essentially above ground roots called Stolons. Although this form of reproduction has its advantages which allows it to outcompete different species in addition to being stress tolerant, the plant will rarely survive in long dense grasses due to a lack of sunlight. Though not much is known about its seed ecology, a seed is capable of surviving being buried for up to 5 years in a dormant state but in general it will germinate within a year or else die.
Lady’s Bedstraw has a rich cultural history throughout much of the world and is associated with folklore, medicine and practical purposes. In medieval Europe, the plant was dried and used to stuff mattresses acting as a flea deterrent. This is most likely where the plant gets its name. The plant played a pivotal role in the process of cheese making, with an enzyme found within it curdling the milk and its yellow colour giving the cheese it’s yellow hue. In terms of its medicinal properties, it was used as a remedy for urinal diseases. It was also used for coagulating blood internally and externally as well as a useful foot balm for the weary traveller. In Serbian folklore, it is placed at people’s front gates to protect Christian homes during the Nativity of the John the Baptist celebration. And lastly, in Irish mythology, Cú Chulainn would take Lady’s Bedstraw to calm his nerves in times of battle.
So, if you are having a shocking round and find yourself caught in the rough. Look around, or better yet, follow that unmistakable scent in the air and take a long, deep sniff at a patch of Lady’s Bedstraw. And like Cú Chulainn, it could give you the mollifying effect you need to turn your game around…. probably.
Chris Greely
Sustainability Coordinator
Created by intelligentgolf version 10.1.2.
