Printer Friendly
Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary
5,181,369,120 visitors served.
forum Join the Word of the Day Mailing List For webmasters
?
Dictionary/
thesaurus
Medical
dictionary
Legal
dictionary
Financial
dictionary
Acronyms
 
Idioms
Encyclopedia
Wikipedia
encyclopedia
?

bedstraw
(redirected from bedstraws)

   Also found in: Encyclopedia 0.01 sec.
bed·straw  (bdstrô)
n.
Any of several weedy or ornamental plants of the genus Galium, having whorled leaves, clusters of small white or yellow flowers, and prickly stems. Also called cleavers.

[Short for Our Lady's Bedstraw, name for a plant of the genus Galium, whose foliage was used to stuff mattresses in medieval times.]

bedstraw [ˈbɛdˌstrɔː]
n
(Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Plants) any of numerous rubiaceous plants of the genus Galium, which have small white or yellow flowers and prickly or hairy fruits: some species formerly used as straw for beds as they are aromatic when dry See also lady's bedstraw

bed•straw (ˈbɛdˌstrɔ)

n.
any of various plants belonging to the genus Galium, of the madder family, esp. G. verum, used as straw for stuffing mattresses.
[1350–1400]
Thesaurus Legend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.bedstraw - any of several plants of the genus Galiumbedstraw - any of several plants of the genus Galium
herb, herbaceous plant - a plant lacking a permanent woody stem; many are flowering garden plants or potherbs; some having medicinal properties; some are pests
Galium, genus Galium - annual or perennial herbs: bedstraw; cleavers
Asperula odorata, fragrant bedstraw, Galium odoratum, sweet woodruff, waldmeister, woodruff - Old World fragrant stoloniferous perennial having small white flowers and narrow leaves used as flavoring and in sachets; widely cultivated as a ground cover; in some classifications placed in genus Asperula
Galium boreale, Northern bedstraw, Northern snow bedstraw - North American stoloniferous perennial having white flowers; sometimes used as an ornamental
Galium verum, Our Lady's bedstraw, yellow bedstraw, yellow cleavers - common yellow-flowered perennial bedstraw; North America and Europe and Asia
Galium lanceolatum, wild licorice - bedstraw with sweetish roots
catchweed, cleavers, clivers, Galium aparine, goose grass, spring cleavers - annual having the stem beset with curved prickles; North America and Europe and Asia
false baby's breath, Galium mollugo, infant's-breath, white bedstraw, white madder, wild madder - Eurasian herb with ample panicles of small white flowers; naturalized in North America
Translations
bedstraw [ˈbedstrɔː] N (Bot) → cuajaleche m, amor m de hortelano
bedstraw [ˈbɛdˌstrɔː] n lady's bedstraw (Bot) → erba zolfina


Want to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit the webmaster's page for free fun content.
?Page tools
Printer friendly
Cite / link
Feedback
Add definition
Mentioned in?   Dictionary browser?   Full browser?
 
 
 
Dictionary, Thesaurus, and Translations
?

Mobile Site | Terms of Use | Privacy policy | Feedback | Advertise with Us | Copyright © 2013 Farlex, Inc.
Disclaimer
All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional.