Rubiaceae

Sweet woodruff

Galium odoratum (L.) Scop.

Family: Rubiaceae
Genus: Galium

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Sweet woodruff (Galium odoratum) — FlowerPhoto: Peter de Lange, CC0, from iNaturalist

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Common names

By language (53)

Arabic: جويسئة عطرة, اسبرولة العطرية, جويسة عطرة
Armenian: Գետնաստղ բուրավետ
arz: جويسئه عطره
azb: عطیرلی چتیریارپاق
Azerbaijani: Ətirli qatıqotu, Ətirli çətiryarpaq
ba: Яҙғы бөрмәкәй
Basque: Ziabelar usaindun
Belarusian: Дзярачка пахучая
Breton: Menoued
Bulgarian: Лазаркиня, Ароматна лазаркиня, Благовонен брош, Бодисора, Лазаркиня миризлива
Catalan: Espunyidella d'olor
Chinese: 香猪殃殃, 香豬殃殃, 车轴草, 香车叶草, 香車葉草
Croatian: Lazarkinja
Czech: Svízel vonný, Mařinka vonná
Danish: Skovmærke, Bukkar
Dutch: Lievevrouwebedstro, Lievevrouwenbedstro, Onze-lieve-vrouwe-bedstro
English: Sweet woodruff, Sweetscented bedstraw, Woodruff
Esperanto: Asperulo
Estonian: Lõhnav madar
Finnish: Tuoksumatara
French: Aspérule odorante, Belle-étoile, Gaillet odorant, Reine des bois
frr: Möösken
Galician: Áspera
German: Waldmeister, Echter Waldmeister, Gliedegenge, Herzensfreund, Herzfreud, Herzfreund, Maienkraut, Maikraut
Hindi: वुडरफ
hsb: Wonjaty sydrik, Jadrowe zelo, Wonjata serlica, Wumara, Žerlica
Hungarian: Szagos müge
Icelandic: Anganmaðra
Irish: Lus moileas
Italian: Asperula
Japanese: クルマバソウ
Kinyarwanda: Asiperile ihumura
kw: Kala hweg
Latvian: Smaržīgā madara, Smaržīgais miešķis
Lithuanian: Kvapusis lipikas, Kvapioji krūnė
Luxembourgish: Meekraitchen
Macedonian: Јановденче, Лазарка, Миризлива брошт
nds: Möösch, Maehsch, Maesch, Meesk, Meusch, Määsch
Norwegian Bokmål: Myske
os: Хæрздæф цъиувæдис
Persian: زبرینه
Polish: Przytulia wonna, Marzanka wonna, Marzanna wonna
Romanian: Mireasa vinului
Russian: Подмаренник душистый
Serbian: Lazarkinja, Лазаркиња
Slovak: Lipkavec voňavý, Lipkavec marinkový, Marinka voňavá
Slovenian: Dišeča perla
Spanish: Asperilla, Asperilla olorosa, Bregandia, Hepatica estrellada, Hepática estrellada, Hierba de la opilada, Reina de los bosques, Rubia menor
Swedish: Myskmadra, Myska
Turkish: Kokulu yoğurt otu
Ukrainian: Маренка запашна
Walloon: Rinne-des-bwès
Welsh: Briwydd bêr

Synonyms

Asperula eugeniae K.Richt.
Asperula matrisylva Gilib.
Asperula odora Salisb.
Asperula odorata L.
Asperula odorata var. trifida Sennen
Asterophyllum asperula K.F.Schimp. & Spenn.
Asterophyllum sylvaticum K.F.Schimp. & Spenn.
Chlorostemma odoratum (L.) Fourr.
Galium matrisylva F.H.Wigg.
Galium odoratum var. eugeniae (K.Richt.) Ehrend.

Flowers

In flower: May (from 2,445 flowering iNaturalist observations worldwide)

Characteristics

Growth habit: Forb/herb
Lifespan: Perennial
In the US and Canada: Canada: introduced, Lower 48 states: introduced

Photos

FlowerPhoto: Peter de Lange, CC0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: Patrycja Iciek, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: Andreas Stiller, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: Adam Górski, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Björn Traeger, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Vladimir Atachkin, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Exith, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: jvilla, CC BY-SA 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Olybrius, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Jerzy Opioła, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Daniel Chapman, CC0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Pmau, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons

More in Galium

Sources: classification, synonyms from World Flora Online Plant List (2026-06, CC0 1.0); common names, popularity from Wikidata (2026-10-26, CC0 1.0); common names, US characteristics from USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29, CC0 1.0). About our plant data.