Identification
This native perennial grows up to 18 inches tall. The small, mostly smooth leaves, up to 1 inch long, are in whorls of 4 around a thin stem. The small white flowers with 4 petals are on long stalks in clusters of 2-4. The tiny round fruits (not shown) are smooth with no hairs or bristles.
Of our 5 bedstraw species, only Galium circaezens also has leaves in whorls of 4. It prefers drier upland habitats, has greenish-white rather than pure white flowers that appear later in the season and has hairy, not smooth, fruits. Our other three bedstraw species all have whorls of more than 4 leaves.
This species grows on moist floodplains and near water. It is considered rare in Fontenelle Forest with only two known floodplain observations. It has not been seen at Neale Woods. Flowering occurs from May to July.
The content of NatureSearch is provided by dedicated volunteer Naturalists of Fontenelle Forest who strive to provide the most accurate information available. Contributors of the images retain their copyrights. The point of contact for this page is: Roland Barth.