Woodruff



Sweet Woodruff
asperula odorata L.
galium odoratum
Rubiaceae
Madder family

Description of Plant and Culture

Woodruff is a perennial plant, 6-12 inches high;
its thin creeping rootstock with numerous matted, fibrous roots
send up many slender stems, which are square, shiny, and glabrous.

The soft but rough-edged and bristle-tipped, narrow dark
green leaves grow around the stalk in successive whorls
with 6-8 leaves in each whorl.

Lower leaves are oblong-obovate, the small, white,
four-petaled flowers bloom in loose branching cymes
from May to June, followed by a leathery, bristly fruit.

Makes a good ground cover for shady areas.

Has the fragrance of freshly mowed hay.

Found growing in woods and gardens in Europe,
Asia, and North Africa; cultivated in the United States.

Often found in the deepest recesses of the forests,
where the sun penetrates only with difficulty.


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