Galium concinnum

Native

Dry to moist. Woods. Partial shade.

June to August

White to cream

5″ to 24″ long

This is a 5″ to 24″ long, erect or sprawling, perennial forb that rises on multiple stems from shallow roots.

The stems are spreading or ascending, slender, weak, 4-angled, hollow, and much branched. The angles often rough with sparse, short, stiff, downward-pointing hairs. They do not have hooked hairs.

The main leaves are small, stalkless, and in whorls of 6. On the branches the leaves are in whorls of 4. The blades are linear or linear elliptic, ⅜″ to ¾″ long, and 3 ⁄32″ to 5 ⁄32″ wide. They have a single prominent vein running from the base to the tip. There is an abrupt, short, sharp, firm point at the tip. The margins are untoothed and rough with short, stiff, forward-pointing hairs. They do not have hooked hairs.

The inflorescences are clusters of several to many flowers at the ends of stems and branches and rising from upper leaf axils. The clusters are forked 2 or 3 times, the forks widely spreading.

The flowers are ⅛″ or less wide. They consist of 4 short, white petals with pointed tips, 4 sepals that are shorter than the petals, 4 short stamens, and 2 short, pale yellow styles. There are 2 carpels at the base of the flower. The carpels are green and are joined together. They are not covered with hooked hairs.

The fruit is a green, hairless, ball-like, 1-seeded capsule, joined in pairs.

False baby’s breath (Galium mollugo) stems are usually erect. Sometimes the stems are stunted or poorly developed due to environmental conditions, and may be mistaken for shining bedstraw. However, the former has whorls of 8 to 12 leaves at the main nodes.

Northern bedstraw (Galium boreale) sometimes has leaves as small as shining bedstraw. However, the leaves of the former are blunt-tipped and always in whorls of 4.