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Asperula tinctoria

Common name:	Dyer's Woodruff	Family:	Rubiaceae
Author:	L.	Botanical references:	50, 200
Synonyms:	Galium triandrum (Hylander.)
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	Northern and Central Europe.
Habitat:	Dry pastures[100]. Meadows and rocky places[244].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	0	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	0

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	Galium claytonii[B,P] Galium obtusum var. floridanum[B,P] Galium tinctorium[B,E,P] Galium tinctorium ssp. floridanum[B,P] Galium tinctorium var. diversifolium[B,P] Galium tinctorium var. floridanum[B,P] Galium trifidum ssp. tinctorium[B,P] Galium trifidum var. tinctorium[B,P]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Dyer's Woodruff [H,L], Stiff Marsh Bedstraw [B,P],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	asper = rough tinctoria = used in dyeing
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Rubiales. Madder family

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 0.3m. It is hardy to zone 4. It is in flower in June. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs). We rate it 0/5 for edibility and 0/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires dry or moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Meadow, Cultivated Beds.

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

None known

Other Uses

Dye.

A red dye is obtained from the roots[46, 61, 100].

Cultivation details

Succeeds in almost any soil, including dry ones[1]. Prefers a well-drained moisture retentive soil in sun or semi-shade[200].

Propagation

Seed - sow spring to early summer in a light position in a cold frame[134]. 2 weeks pre-chilling improves the germination rate[134]. The seed usually germinates in 1 month at 10° c[134]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in the summer.
Division in spring or early summer[200].
Basal cuttings of soft young shoots in early summer[200].

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Galium tinctorium (a possible synonym).

[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.

References for asperula tinctoria (a possible synonym).

[HP] PhotoFrom Henriette's plant pictures

References for the family Rubiaceae.

To be included in the Flora of China.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[50] ? Flora Europaea Cambridge University Press 1964
An immense work in 6 volumes (including the index). The standard reference flora for europe, it is very terse though and with very little extra information. Not for the casual reader.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[100] Polunin. O. Flowers of Europe - A Field Guide. Oxford University Press 1969 ISBN 0192176218
An excellent and well illustrated pocket guide for those with very large pockets. Also gives some details on plant uses.

[134] Rice. G. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 2. Thompson and Morgan. 1988
Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation. An interesting article on Ensete ventricosum.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[244] Phillips. R. & Foy. N. Herbs Pan Books Ltd. London. 1990 ISBN 0-330-30725-8
Deals with all types of herbs including medicinal, culinary, scented and dye plants. Excellent photographs with quite good information on each plant.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
Blagdon Cross, Ashwater, Beaworthy, Devon, EX21 5DF, UK.
Website: www.pfaf.org Phone: 0845 458 4719/_44(0) 1208 872963

This page (UK) http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/pfaf/arr_html?Asperula+tinctoria
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