northern bedstraw

not listed

NNR - Unranked

SNR - Unranked

not listed

FACU - Facultative upland

FAC - Facultative

FAC - Facultative

Northern bedstraw is a 6″ to 40″ tall, erect, perennial forb that rises on numerous stems from a creeping rhizome.

The stems are ascending, erect, or reclining on the ground. They are slender, 4-angled, hollow, and many branched. They are usually hairless except for a short beard of hairs just below the nodes. Sometimes they are rough with minute, stiff hairs. They do not have hooked hairs.

The leaves are stalkless and in whorls of 4. They are linear lance-shaped, ⅝″ to 1¾″long, and up to 3 ⁄16″ wide. There are often two leaves opposite each other within a whorl that are significantly longer than the other two. The leaf blades have 3 veins, 1 prominent midvein and 2 less prominent but plainly visible lateral veins, running from the base to the tip. They are rounded at the tip. The upper surface is green and hairless. The lower surface is light green and sparsely hairy. The margins are untoothed and have a fringe of hairs. The leaves do not have hooked hairs.

The inflorescence is a showy, branched, about 4″ long and wide, round-topped cluster (cyme) of numerous stalked flowers at the end of the stem. Each division of the cyme is subtended by a pair of elliptic bracts.

The flowers are ⅛″ to ¼″ wide. There are 4 white to cream-colored petals fused at the base into a short tube then separated into 4 short lobes with pointed tips. There are 4 stamens with white filaments and yellowish-brown anthers, and 2 styles. There are 2 carpels at the base of the flower. The carpels are light green, hairy, and joined together. They do not have hooked hairs.

The fruit is a green, sometimes hairy, ball-like, 1-seeded capsule, joined in pairs. It does not have hooked hairs.

6″ to 40″

White to cream

Northern bedstraw often has two leaves opposite each other within a whorl that are significantly longer than the other two. Other bedstraws have leaves within a whorl that are identical in size.

Licorice bedstraw (Galium circaezans var. hypomalacum) has much wider leaves and 3 prominent parallel veins.

Dry to wet. Woods, forests, prairies, meadows, fields.

June to July

Sources

2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 28, 29, 30.

Native

Common and widespread

Habitat

Plant

Inflorescence

Flowers