Asperula odorata.
Botanical name:
Asperula odorata Linn. Rubiaceae. Woodroof.
Europe and the adjoining portions of Asia. The flowers are sweet-scented. The herbage is not fragrant when fresh but, after being gathered for a short time, it gives out the perfume of new hay and retains this property for years. In Germany, woodroof is used for imparting a flavor to some of the Rhine wines. In England, it is cultivated occasionally as a garden herb, being used for flavoring cooling drinks. Its seed is advertised in American garden catalogs. Woodroof will thrive in the shade of most trees and grows in all kinds of garden soil.
Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World, 1919, was edited by U. P. Hedrick.
