Galium odoratum

created by Christoph at 26.01.2021

Season Overview

Sowing

Harvest

J

F

M

A

M

J

A

S

O

N

D

1ST YEAR

FOLLOWING YEARS

Description

Woodruff grows as an overwintering green, perennial herbaceous plant and reaches growth heights of 5 to 30 cm. This hemicryptophyte forms creeping, thin, more or less long rhizomes underground as survival organs, with which woodruff can also reproduce vegetatively. Its upright, unbranched, square stems are smooth and glabrous, except at the nodes (nodes), which have short, stiff hairs. The opposite leaves, six to eight in pseudo whorls on the stem, with several similar-looking stipules, have stalks up to one millimeter long. The leaves become papery when they dry. The flowering period ranges from April to May or June, depending on the location. A few to many flowers form a terminal, cymose inflorescence. The flower stalks are 1 to 4 millimeters long. The small, hermaphrodite flowers are radially symmetrical and four-petaled. The calyx is only rudimentary. The four white or bluish-white, glabrous petals are more or less broadly funnel-shaped over about half their length. There is only one circle of usually four fertile stamens, which are inserted in the corolla tube. The fruits ripen between June and September. The partial fruits cling to fur, feathers or even clothing with their bristles and can thus be spread widely.

F1 Hybrid

Frostproof

Growing tips

Woodruff is perennial, hardy and very easy to care for. As a true wild perennial, woodruff prefers semi-shady locations, e.g. under deciduous trees with well-moistened soil. It is best to cut back the old foliage at the beginning of April when the young shoots are only a few centimeters tall. Seed-resistant variety.