Photographs: Barleycove, Co. Cork

Ladys Bedstraw Galium verum Boladh cnis Family: Rubiaceae Flowering time: July-August. Perennial. Native. The panicles of small golden-yellow flowers on 4-angled stems are followed by hairless black fruit. There are 8-12 narrow, pointed leaves in whorls up stems, single-veined. A sprawling, hairless plant with creeping stems at the base. Height: 15-60cm Can be common in parts of central Ireland and on Irish coasts among grassland, dunes and on coastal road banks.

Lady's Bedstraw, Galium verum, Boladh cnis