Rubiaceae

Galium porrigens

Climbing Bedstraw

Climbing, with thin, tangled, woody stem, tiny prickles. Leaves in whorls of 4 with rounded tips, short point at tip end, often falling midseason. Dioecious. Male flowers in clusters at ends of stems; female flowers single in leaf axils; both with 4 yellowish or reddish petals. Seed is a single berry. Grows among bushes in shrublands, chaparral or forests, at low to mid elevations. Galium means "milk," as some species have been used in curdling milk.

• Rarity: Locally Common
• Flowering Time: Late Spring, Early Summer
• Life Cycle: Perennial
• Height: 25--60 inches
• Habitat: West-Side Forest, Coastal, Shrub-Steppe
• Found In:
• Native: Yes