Dictionary:
wood·ruff (wʊd'rəf, -rŭf')  |
[Middle English woderofe, from Old English wudurofe : wudu, wood + -rofe, of unknown meaning.]
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| Food and Nutrition: woodruff |
A wild plant of woodlands on chalk or limestone (Galium odoratum); the leaves have the smell and flavour of new mown hay, and are used to flavour alcoholic or fruit drinks, or to make a herb tea.
| Food Lover's Companion: woodruff |
Often described as having the smell of freshly cut hay, woodruff is the leaf of a ground cover native to Europe. Its most famous use is as a flavoring in may wine, a white-wine punch popular in Germany. In Germany and Austria, woodruff is also used to season sausages, candies and many cooked dishes. Live plants are available through many nurseries, and the dried herb is available in gourmet stores and through mail order. Also called sweet woodruff.
| WordNet: sweet woodruff |
The noun has 2 meanings:
Meaning #1:
Old World fragrant stoloniferous perennial having small white flowers and narrow leaves used as flavoring and in sachets; widely cultivated as a ground cover; in some classifications placed in genus Asperula
Synonyms: waldmeister, woodruff, fragrant bedstraw, Galium odoratum, Asperula odorata
Meaning #2:
fragrant dark green leaves used to flavor May wine
Synonym: waldmeister
| Wikipedia: Woodruff |
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 Woodruff plant in flower
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| Galium odoratum (L.) Scop.[1] |
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Asperula odorata |
Woodruff (Galium odoratum) is a herbaceous perennial plant in the family Rubiaceae, native to Europe, North Africa and western Asia. It grows to 30-50 cm (12-20 ins.) long, often lying flat on the ground or supported by other plants. The plant is also known in English as Sweet Woodruff or Wild Baby's Breath. "Master of the woods" is probably a translation of the German name Waldmeister. Names like "Sweetscented bedstraw", "Cudweed" and "Ladies' Bedstraw" should be avoided; the former two properly refer to Galium triflorum, the latter to Galium verum.
The leaves are simple, lanceolate, glabrous, 2-5 cm long, and borne in whorls of 6-9. The small (4-7 mm diameter) flowers are produced in cymes, each white with four petals joined together at the base. The seeds are 2-4 mm diameter, produced singly, and each seed is covered in tiny hooked bristles which help disperse the seed by sticking temporarily to clothing and animal fur.
This plant prefers partial to full shade in moist, rich soils. In dry summers it needs frequent irrigation. Propagation is by crown division, separation of the rooted stems, or digging up of the barely submerged perimeter stolons. It is ideal as a groundcover or border accent in woody, acidic gardens where other shade plants fail to thrive. Deer avoid eating it (Northeast US).
Woodruff, as the scientific name odoratum suggests, is a strongly scented plant, the sweet scent being derived from coumarin. This scent increases on wilting and then persists on drying, and woodruff is used in pot-pourri and as a moth deterrent. It is also used, mainly in Germany, to flavour May wine (called "Maiwein" or "Maibowle" in German), beer (Berliner Weisse), brandy, sausages, jelly, jam, a soft drink (Tarhun), ice cream, and a herbal tea with gentle sedative properties. In Germany woodruff is also used to flavour Sherbet (powder). Mixed with german "corn schnapps" (alternative: vodka), it is a popular party drink among young people. It is called "Korn Brause" or "Korn ahoi".
High doses can cause headaches, due to the toxicity of coumarin. Very high doses of coumarin can cause vertigo, somnolence or even central paralysis and apnoea while in a coma. Since 1981, woodruff may no longer be used as an ingredient of industrially produced drinks and food stuffs in Germany; it has been replaced by artificial aromas and colorings.
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Copyrights:
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 | Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Food and Nutrition. A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition. Copyright © 1995, 2003, 2005 by A. E. Bender and D. A. Bender. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Food Lover's Companion. Food Lover's Companion. Copyright © 2001 by Barron's Educational Series, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| WordNet. WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Woodruff". Read more |
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