Galium aparine (Catchweed bedstraw)

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Galium aparine L.

Catchweed bedstraw

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Magnoliopsida	Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
Subclass	Asteridae	A large class that encompasses asters
Order	Gentianales	Gentians, coffee, gardenias, frangipani, many others
Family	Rubiaceae	Coffee, madder, and bedstraw family
Genus	Galium	From Greek gala, “milk,” because some Galium species were used to curdle milk
Species	aparine	Means ‘cleavers’

About plant names...

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, Massachusetts

7/15/2019 · Beaver Brook Conservation Area, New Long Loop, Hollis, New Hampshire
≈ 8 × 6" (19 × 16 cm)

	You are here Galium aparine	*Galium mollugo*	*Galium odoratum*
Common Name	catchweed bedstraw	smooth bedstraw	sweet woodruff
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
Range/ Zones			USDA Zones: 4-8
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:

Missouriplants.com

Plants for a Future, a resource and information centre for edible and otherwise useful plants

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Illinois Wildflowers

Southeastern Arizona Wildflowers and the Plants of the Sonoran Desert

The Connecticut Botanical Society's Connecticut wildflowers site

Southeastern Arizona Wildflowers and the Plants of the Sonoran Desert

CalPhotos

The USDA Forest Service's Fire Effects Information Database

Vascular Plants of the Gila Wilderness