Asterophyllum asperulaSchimp. & Spenn. in F.C.L.Spenner
Asterophyllum sylvaticumSchimp. & Spenn. in F.C.L.Spenner
Asperula eugeniaeK.Richt.
Galium odoratumvar. eugeniae(K.Richt.) Ehrend. in E.Janchen
Galium odoratum, thesweet woodruff[1] orsweetscented bedstraw,[3] is a floweringperennial plant in the familyRubiaceae, native to much of Europe. It is widely cultivated for its flowers and its sweet-smelling foliage.
Aherbaceous plant, it grows to 25–50 cm (10–19+1⁄2 in) long,[4] often lying flat on the ground or supported by other plants. The leaves are simple,lanceolate,glabrous,2–5 cm (3⁄4–2 in) long, and borne in whorls of six to nine. The small (4–7 mm diameter) flowers are produced incymes, each white with four petals joined together at the base. The fruits are 2–4 mm in diameter, produced singly, and each is covered in tiny, hooked bristles, which help disperse them by sticking temporarily to clothing and animal fur.[5][6]
It owes its sweet smell to the presence of the compoundcoumarin.[7]
The plant isnative to much of Europe[4] from Spain and Ireland to Russia, as well as Western Siberia, Turkey, Iran, the Caucasus,[2] China, and Japan.[8] It is also sparingly naturalised in scattered locations in the United States and Canada.[9]
This plant prefers partial to full shade in moist, rich soils. In dry summers, it needs frequent watering. Propagation is bycrown division, separation of the rooted stems, or digging up of the barely submerged perimeterstolons. It is ideal as agroundcover or border accent in woody, acidic gardens where other shade plants fail to thrive. In the northeast United States, deer and chickens avoid eating it.[citation needed]
Industrial usage of the plant for sweets was prohibited in Germany in 1974, due tocoumarin, 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.[10] The flavour is still popular for sweets in Germany, but is achieved artificially with6-methyl coumarin. Products targeted towards adults, such as alcoholic drinks, are still permitted to include coumarin, in limited quantities.[11][verification needed]
It is widely cultivated for its flowers and sweet-smelling foliage.[12][13][14]
As itsspecific epithetodoratum 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 flavourMay wine (calledMaibowle orMaitrank 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.[4] Also very popular are sweet woodruff-flavoured jellies, with and without alcohol.[15] In Germany, where it is called Waldmeister, it was and to some extent still is also used to flavour sherbet powder that features prominently inGünter Grass's novelThe Tin Drum (1959).
^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.
^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.PMID10418958.
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