– Jordan Penrose, Ohio State University Extension Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator, Morgan County (originally published in Ohio Farmer on-line)
Bedstraw was brought to the US to be an ornamental.
Over the past couple of months, I have received several questions about a weed that is appearing in pastures and hayfields. That weed is smooth bedstraw (Galium mollugo); it is also known by many other names, like beggar-lice, chicken weed, cleavers, false baby’s breath, robin-run-ahead, whip-tongue, white bedstraw, white hedge bedstraw, and wild madder. Smooth bedstraw has been around in Ohio for a while, as it is widespread in eastern Ohio and scattered throughout other areas of the state. The native region of smooth bedstraw is Eurasia, and it was brought to the United States to be an ornamental plant.
Smooth bedstraw prefers gravelly or sandy loam soils and can be a persistent weed in several areas, like lawns, pastures, fields, riverbanks, and along roadsides. In North America, there are at least 30 different types of bedstraws, and many are perennials like smooth bedstraw that produce sprawling, tangled mats from which a few erect stems arise.
Typical bedstraw leaves.
The typical bedstraw leaf is linear and formed in whorls consisting of as many as 8 leaves at nodes on the stem. Leaves are 1/3 to 1 inch long, linear, bright green, and whorled. Usually, there are 8 leaves per node on main stems and 6 or 7 leaves per node on branches. Stems are smooth, wiry, 4-angled, branched, and up to 3 feet long. Stems initially grow upright, but over time, they become spreading and matted.
The easiest way to identify smooth bedstraw from other bedstraws is that it is the only white-flowered form with 8 leaves at each node on main stems and 6 to 8 leaves at nodes on branches. Flowers are about 1/6 inch wide, white, and consist of tiny, 4-lobed petals. Flowers form in branched clusters at the ends of stems and branches throughout the plant. The plants produce flowers from June through August. Smooth bedstraw’s reproduction is by seeds and underground, spreading rhizomes (horizontal underground stems). The seeds of smooth bedstraw are kidney-shaped, hairless, and dark brown.
Smooth bedstraw can be distinguished from other perennial bedstraws that are also found in Ohio, such as Clayton’s bedstraw, lanceleaf wild liquorice, northern bedstraw, northern marsh bedstraw, shining bedstraw, small bedstraw, and yellow bedstraw, because it is the only species with white flowers that have 8 leaves per node. Catchweed bedstraw is similar in appearance, but the life cycle of catchweed bedstraw is that of an annual, so its roots do not persist for more than one season as they establish each year from seeds. Also, its stems, leaves, and fruits are prickly, and its leaves are larger than those of smooth bedstraw.
When I get questions about smooth bedstraw, and I talk with people about it, most of the time I get asked the question if the plant is toxic to livestock, if they graze it, or if it gets baled for hay. The answer to that question is that there are no known toxicities for smooth bedstraw. For those that may be worried about livestock grazing it, livestock avoid this species when grazing.
For control of smooth bedstraw, there are a couple of different tactics that you can use. Bedstraws can be controlled by intensively managing fields and pastures with the proper soil pH, good fertility, and multiple mowings each season. For chemical control of the bedstraw species, the weed control guide gives Chaparral, Crossbow, GrazonNextHL, Milestone, and Surmount a 9 on the weed control rating, which is 90% to 100% control. The weed control guide also gives Glyphosate an 8 on the weed control rating, which is 80% to 90% control. When using the chemical control option to manage smooth bedstraw, make sure to read and follow the label, as the label is the law. If you are looking for a more detailed strategy on how to manage weeds in your pasture, or even your hayfield, contact your local extension office for help.
There are a couple of fun facts and folklore on how the smooth bedstraw got its name that I would like to share. The genus name, ‘Galium‘, is from the Greek word for milk and refers to an old use for the plant to curdle milk in making cheese. Small chickens get caught in this weed, hence the common name ‘chicken weed’. The common name ‘bedstraw’ has two possible origins: the dried plant was used to stuff mattresses; it is said that bedstraw was placed in the manger at Bethlehem when Jesus was born.