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Galium aparine L. Galium agreste Wallr. var. echinospermum Wallr. Galium aparine L. var. echinospermum (Wallr.) Farw. Galium aparine L. var. intermedium (Merr.) Briq. Galium aparine L. var. minor Hook. Galium aparine L. ssp. spurium (L.) Simonkai Galium aparine L. var. vaillantii (DC.) Koch Galium spurium L. Galium spurium L. var. echinospermum (Wallr.) Hayek Galium spurium L. var. vaillantii (DC.) Gren. & Godr. Galium spurium L. var. vaillantii (DC.) G. Beck Galium vaillantii DC. Catchweed bedstraw
Catchweed bedstraw is native to North America and Eurasia. Usually I prefer to photograph plants in the wild, but I put this one on the scanner to illustrate the tiny hooks that make it stick like velcro to everything it touches. This and related plants are called bedstraws because a fragrant-smelling yellow-flowered species, Galium verum, was used to stuff mattresses in medieval times. Some members of Galium: |
Leaf underside. · 6/9/2010 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, MA
6/9/2010 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, MA |
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| You are here Galium aparine |
Galium mollugo |
Galium odoratum |
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| Plant | Stem is square stem, purplish in the spring, green as the plant matures. All parts of the plant are covered with tiny velcro-like hooks. | Up to 3' (1 m), vinelike. Stems are square and smooth. | Low-growing plant may reach 20" (50 cm) in length, but only about 8" (20 cm) in height. Plants have an appealing sweet scent | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Flowers | 4-petaled, white, ⅛" (3.2 mm) around, appearing from May to July. | Hundreds of tiny white 4-petaled flowers ⅛" (3.2 mm) across, producing white masses. | Small white flowers, each ⅛-¼" (4-7 mm) in diameter, are raised above the leaves on thin stalks | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Leaves | Whorls of 6-8 leaves every few inches, each 1-2" (2.5-5 cm) long. | In whorls of 6-8, 1-1½" (2.5-3.8 cm) long, smooth. | ¾-1¾" (2-5 cm) long, arranged in whorls of 6-9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Type | Wild | Wild | Wild | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occurrence | Common | Common | Common | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Identification: The first thing that stands out about catchweed bedstraw is the regular whorls of 6-8 leaves every few inches. They give it a neat, orderly appearance. Leaves are 1-2" (2.5-5 cm) long. On closer inspection, there is the perfectly square stem, which may be purplish in the spring, but is green as the plant matures. The 4-petaled flowers, which are white and only ⅛" (3.2 mm) around, are barely noticeable, appearing from May to July. But touch this plant and you’ll immediately know why it is called catchweed bedstraw or stickywilly. Every part of it—stems, leaves, flowers, and seed pods—are covered with tiny velcro-like hooks. They give every part of the plant a sandpapery feel. The hooks allow the plant to clamber over other plants, reaching heights of 5' (1.5 m) in some cases.
Edibility: Tender young shoot tips are edible raw or added to soups and stews, though many people find them too bitter or object to their texture. They can also be harvested before flowering and cooked as leaf vegetables, a more widely enjoyed alternative. Dried and lightly roasted seeds can serve as a coffee substitute.
Medical: Stickywilly has many alleged medical uses, too many to make sense of.
Online References:
Galium aparine on Missouriplants.com
Galium aparine on Plants for a Future, a resource and information centre for edible and otherwise useful plants
Galium aparine at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Galium aparine at Illinois Wildflowers
Galium aparine at Southeastern Arizona Wildflowers and the Plants of the Sonoran Desert
Galium aparine on the Connecticut Botanical Society's Connecticut wildflowers site
Galium aparine at Southeastern Arizona Wildflowers and the Plants of the Sonoran Desert
Galium aparine on CalPhotos
Galium aparine on the USDA Forest Service's Fire Effects Information Database
Galium aparine on Vascular Plants of the Gila Wilderness
Galium aparine on SEINet—the Southwest Environmental Information Network
6/9/2010 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, MA 
Galium aparine description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 16 Sep 2020.
© FloraFinder.org. All rights reserved.
6/1/2013 · Beaver Brook Assn Conservation Lands, Rte. 130, Hollis, NH
≈ 3 × 3" (8.6 × 8.4 cm) 
6/9/2010 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, MA 
Range:
