# Bedstraws (*galium*)

Bedstraws are fun plants that can grow in fields and forests! Kids love to pick them and use them for crafts or to make tea.

- **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 0/5 · No known danger
- **Habitat:** They live in fields, meadows, and forests.
- **Also known as:** Cleavers, Goosegrass, Lady's Bedstraw, Sticky-Willy

![Bedstraws](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Galium_uliginosum.jpeg&width=800)

Photo: No machine-readable author provided. Fabelfroh assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Galium_uliginosum.jpeg)

## Appearance

The Bedstraws has delicate, often tiny, white or yellow flowers with usually four petals arranged in clusters. Its leaves grow in distinctive whorls (circles) around the stem, which is often square-shaped. Some species have tiny hooks, giving them a clinging texture.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Plantae
- **Phylum:** Tracheophyta
- **Class:** Magnoliopsida
- **Order:** Gentianales
- **Family:** Rubiaceae
- **Genus:** Galium

## Interesting facts

- Bedstraws are so widespread, you can find them on almost every continent!
- Many bedstraws have stems that are square, not round like most plants!
- Some ancient peoples stuffed mattresses with bedstraws for their sweet scent.
- Tiny bedstraw seeds can be carried far distances by wind or even animals.

## Special abilities

- **Velcro Grip:** Bedstraws can stick to clothes and fur using tiny hooks on their stems and fruits, helping their seeds travel far.
- **Whorled Wonder:** Bedstraws has leaves arranged in distinct circles around its stem, an unusual pattern that helps maximize sunlight capture.
- **Cheese Curdler:** Some Bedstraws species contain enzymes that can curdle milk, a traditional method for making cheese in ancient times.
- **Living Dye Pot:** Certain Bedstraws roots can produce a vibrant red dye, historically used to color fabrics like wool and cloth.

## Measurements & details

- **Height:** 10-100 cm
- **Spread:** 20-200 cm
- **Flower Size:** 0.1-0.3 cm
- **Bloom Season:** Late spring to late summer
- **Edible:** Yes
- **Toxicity:** Mild
- **Lifecycle:** Perennial
- **Pollination Method:** Insect

## Ecological connections

- **Pollinates:** Honey Bee (*Apis mellifera*) — Visits small flowers for nectar.
- **Eaten by:** [Red Deer](https://www.snappit.app/explore/red-deer) (*Cervus elaphus*) — Deer browse on their leaves.
- **Eaten by:** [Garden Snail](https://www.snappit.app/explore/garden-snail) (*Helix aspersa*) — Snails graze on leaves.
- **Eaten by:** Domestic Sheep (*Ovis aries*) — Sheep commonly graze on bedstraws.

## Traits

- [Social](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/social): Social animals live in organized groups, cooperating for survival benefits such as foraging, defense, and raising offspring.
- [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors.
- [Herbivorous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/herbivorous): This trait characterizes organisms whose diet consists entirely or primarily of plant material.
- [Forest](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/forest): Forest habitats are terrestrial environments dominated by dense tree cover, supporting a high diversity of plant and animal life.
- [Pollinator](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator): Describes organisms that transfer pollen, enabling the fertilization and reproduction of plants.

## Collections

- [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants)

## Safety

**Danger:** 0/5 · No known danger

No special safety notes yet.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Bedstraws?

Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How tall is Bedstraws?

10-100 cm

### How wide does Bedstraws spread?

20-200 cm

### How big are the flowers on Bedstraws?

0.1-0.3 cm

### When does Bedstraws bloom?

Late spring to late summer

### Is Bedstraws edible?

Yes

### Is Bedstraws toxic?

Mild

### What is Bedstraws's lifecycle?

Perennial

## Where to spot

- [Roscoe Conkling Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/roscoe-conkling-park) — New York, US · Park
- [Mullen's Head Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/mullens-head-park) — Maine, US · Park

## More Plants

- [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*)
- [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*)
- [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*)
- [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*)

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Source: [Bedstraws: Characteristics, Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/bedstraws)