# Cruciata laevipes

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Species of plant

crosswort smooth bedstraw Scientific classification Kingdom: Plantae Clade: Embryophytes Clade: Tracheophytes Clade: Spermatophytes Clade: Angiosperms Clade: Eudicots Clade: Asterids Order: Gentianales Family: Rubiaceae Genus: Cruciata Species: C. laevipes Binomial name Cruciata laevipes Opiz Synonyms[1] Valantia cruciata L. Galium cruciata (L.) Scop. Galium cruciata var. laevipes (Opiz) W.D.J.Koch Rubia cruciata (L.) Baill. Valantia hirsuta Gilib. Aparine latifolia Moench Galium valantia G.Gaertn., B.Mey. & Scherb. Valantia ciliata Opiz ex J.Presl & C.Presl Galium glabrifolium Rochel Galium cruciata var. mucronata Peterm. Cruciata ciliata Opiz Cruciata hirsuta Fourr. Galium luteocruciatum St.-Lag. Valantia crucialis Bubani

***Cruciata laevipes*** is a [species](/source/Species) of [flowering plant](/source/Flowering_plant) in the [family](/source/Family_(taxonomy)) [Rubiaceae](/source/Rubiaceae). It is commonly known as **crosswort**, **smooth bedstraw** or **Luc na croise** in [Gaelic](/source/Scottish_Gaelic).[1] The Latin epithet *laevipes* refers to the smooth stalk.

The common name crosswort is a 16th century translation of the botanists' Latin *cruciata planta*, meaning "cross plant", i.e., with leaves in a cross-like arrangement.[2]

## Description

This perennial sprawling plant can grow to a height of 15–70 cm (6–28 in), spreads by seeds and [stolons](/source/Stolons) and has, unusually amongst this group,[*[clarification needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Please_clarify)*] yellow [hermaphrodite](/source/Hermaphrodite_(botany)) flowers. The inner flowers are male and soon fall off, whilst the outer are bisexual and produce the fruit. The flowers smell of honey. Of the [whorls](/source/Whorl_(botany)) of four leaves, only two in each group are real leaves, the other two being [stipules](/source/Stipule).[3] It is associated with arbuscular [mycorrhiza](/source/Mycorrhiza) that penetrate the cortical cells of the roots. In the [United Kingdom](/source/United_Kingdom) it flowers April to June.[4] Pollination is by [bees](/source/Bees) and [flies](/source/Diptera).[5]

## Distribution and habitat

*Cruciata laevipes* is found in most of [Europe](/source/Europe) as well as from northern [Turkey](/source/Turkey), [Iran](/source/Iran), the [Caucasus](/source/Caucasus), and the western [Himalayas](/source/Himalaya).[6] It is also reportedly naturalized in [Ontario County](/source/Ontario_County%2C_New_York) in [New York State](/source/New_York_State).[7] *Cruciata laevipes* is found in meadows, road verges, riverbanks, scrub and open woodland, generally on well-drained [calcareous soils](/source/Alkali_soils).[8]

## Uses

*C. laevipes* flowers

*Cruciata laevipes* is little used in herbal medicine today, but it was once recommended as a remedy for rupture, [rheumatism](/source/Rheumatism) and [dropsy](/source/Dropsy).[9] [Bald's Leechbook](/source/Bald's_Leechbook) recommended crosswort as a [cure](/source/Bald's_Leechbook#Cures) for headaches.[10]

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:0_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:0_1-1) ["ITIS - Report: Cruciata laevipes"](https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=Scientific_Name&search_kingdom=every&search_span=exactly_for&categories=All&source=html&search_credRating=All&search_value=Cruciata%20laevipes). *www.itis.gov*. Retrieved 2021-10-08.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Grigson G. 1974. *A Dictionary of English Plant Names*. Allen Lane. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-71-390442-9](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-71-390442-9)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Hutchinson, John (1955). *British Wild Flowers*. Harmondsworth : Penguin. V. 1. p. 211.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["Crosswort | The Wildlife Trusts"](https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/wildflowers/crosswort). *www.wildlifetrusts.org*. Retrieved 2021-10-08.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["Cruciata laevipes Crosswort, Smooth bedstraw PFAF Plant Database"](https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Cruciata+laevipes). *pfaf.org*. Retrieved 2021-10-08.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-reneepappini_6-0)** ["World Checklist of Selected Plant Families: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew"](https://wcsp.science.kew.org/namedetail.do?name_id=51752). *wcsp.science.kew.org*. Retrieved 2021-10-08.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** [Biota of North America Program, *Cruciata laevipes*](http://bonap.net/MapGallery/County/Cruciata%20laevipes.png)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** [The Flora of Derbyshire](https://secure.derby.gov.uk/flora/Flora.aspx?SpeciesID=490)[*[permanent dead link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Link_rot)*]

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** ["Medicinal plants"](https://web.archive.org/web/20110727224836/http://russianherbs.org/herbs/CROSSWORT.htm). Archived from [the original](http://russianherbs.org/herbs/CROSSWORT.htm) on 2011-07-27. Retrieved 2009-05-21.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** Robert Lacey and Danny Danziger August: *The Year 1000: What Life Was Like at the Turn of the First Millennium* Little, Brown, 2000 [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-316-51157-9](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-316-51157-9)

## External links

- [US Department of Agriculture, plants profile, *Cruciata laevipes* Opiz, smooth bedstraw](https://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile?symbol=CRLA13)

- [*Cruciata* in the World Checklist of Rubiaceae](http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/qsearch.do?plantName=Cruciata)

- [Photograph of *C. laevipes*](http://www.floralimages.co.uk/pcrucilaevi.htm)

- [*C. laevipes* photographs](http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?stat=BROWSE&query_src=photos_flora_sci&where-genre=Plant&where-taxon=Cruciata+laevipes&title_tag=Cruciata+laevipes)

- ["Cruciata laevipes"](https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Cruciata+laevipes). *[Plants for a Future](/source/Plants_for_a_Future)*.

Taxon identifiers Cruciata laevipes Wikidata: Q159244 Wikispecies: Cruciata laevipes BioLib: 40622 CoL: 6BK8H EoL: 1093646 EPPO: CCTLA EUNIS: 182133 GBIF: 5338920 iNaturalist: 132627 IPA: 11544 IPNI: 749780-1 IRMNG: 10717733 ISC: 113630 ITIS: 506922 NBN: NBNSYS0000004304 NCBI: 29786 Observation.org: 2461 Open Tree of Life: 442651 PalDat: Cruciata_laevipes PfaF: Cruciata laevipes PFI: 4180 Plant List: kew-51752 PLANTS: CRLA13 POWO: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:747959-1 Tropicos: 27900164 WFO: wfo-0000932960

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Cruciata laevipes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cruciata_laevipes) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cruciata_laevipes?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.