Cruciata laevipes Opiz, 1852
Syn.: Galium cruciata (L.) Scop.
Common names: Crosswort, Smooth Bedstraw [En], Gaillet croisette, Croisette commune [Fr], Kruisbladwalstro [Nl], Gewimpertes Kreuzlabkraut [De], Creuera groga, Cruceta [Es]
Grez-Doisceau, BRABANT โ Belgium
Description: This perennial sprawling plant can grow to a height of 15-70cm, spreads by seeds and stolons and has, unusually amongst this group, yellow hermaphrodite flowers. The inner flowers are male and soon fall off, whilst the outer are bisexual and produce the fruit. The flowers smell of honey. It is arbuscular mycorrhizal in which the fungus penetrates the cortical cells of the roots. Of the whorls of four leaves, only two in each group are real leaves, the other two being stipules.
Habitat: Meadows, road verges, riverbanks, scrub and open woodland, generally on well-drained calcareous soils.
Distribution: Europe, including Britain, from the Netherlands to Poland, south to S. Europe, W. Asia and Siberia.
Uses: Leaves are edible, raw or cooked.
The herb is astringent, diuretic and vulnerary. It is not much used nowadays, but was considered a very good wound herb for both external and internal use. A decoction of the leaves has also been used to treat obstructions of the stomach and bowels, to stimulate the appetite and as a remedy for rheumatism, rupture and dropsy.
References:
Wikipedia, Cruciata laevipes
Plants For A Future
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