Common name:
Northern bedstraw
Family:
Scientific name:
Galium boreale
Main flower color:
Range:
Northern areas of the West, and the Rocky Mountain states to New Mexico
Height:
Between 8 and 30 inches
Habitat:
Dry or moist, sunny areas at a wide range of elevations, from sea level to the subalpine zone
Leaves:
Lanceolate, stalkless, up to 2 inches long, in whorls
Season:
June to August
The lanceolate leaves of galium boreale occur in whorls of four at quite widely-spaced intervals along the slender, four-sided stem, and have three distinct lengthwise veins. The small white flowers are formed of four petals (no sepals), and are about a quarter of an inch in diameter. The center contains four stamens and a pistil topped by two styles.
Flowers grow abundantly at the end of short, branched stalks from the tip of the main stem and from the upper leaf axils. The plant is edible. Unlike some other members of this genus which are quite small and have weak stems, northern bedstraw remains upright, attaining heights of between 2 and 3 feet.
Flowers grow abundantly at the end of short, branched stalks from the tip of the main stem and from the upper leaf axils. The plant is edible. Unlike some other members of this genus which are quite small and have weak stems, northern bedstraw remains upright, attaining heights of between 2 and 3 feet.
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