The Golden Bedstraw

A plant typical of dry meadows and woodland edges, once used in cheesemaking to curdle milk thanks to its acidic enzymes (hence the genus name, from the Greek gála = milk). It is also a dye plant: yellow-orange is obtained from the flowers, and red (alizarin/purpurin) from the roots, traditionally used for textiles and locally for coloring cheese. In European folklore it is known as “Lady’s Bedstraw”: legend says it was used as bedding in the manger at Bethlehem, and it was once used to scent mattresses thanks to its coumarin fragrance.