bedstraw means any plant of herb genus Galium of the madder family with small pointed leaves and hairy stems with small, white or yellow flowers.
bedstraw is pronounced /ˈbɛd.stɹɔː/.
Etymology
From Middle English bedstraw, bedstrau, bedde-straw, equivalent to bed + straw.
noun
- Any plant of herb genus Galium of the madder family with small pointed leaves and hairy stems with small, white or yellow flowers.
- Any plant of the genus Cruciata.
- Straw placed into a bed.“Fleas breed principally of straw or mats, where there hath been a little moisture; or the chamber and bedstraw kept close and not aired”