Galium palustre L.
Marsh bedstraw, common marsh bedstraw
Marsh bedstraw is found in abundance in many temperate habitats worldwide, including eastern North America.
Plants: Long, sprawling stems, usually square in cross-section, are heavily branched and sparsely leaved. Stems are fairly weak, tending to lie against other plants or form mats. These perennials can reach 3′ (1 m), but usually remain less than half that in size.
Leaves: Whorls of four to six lanceolate leaves appear at intervals along the stems. Each leaf is ⅛–¾″ (5–20 mm) long, with leaf tips that are blunt or rounded, rather than pointed. Leaf edges feel rough due to the presence of tiny backward-curved hooks.
Flowers: Spreading loose, branched cymes are comprised of about 100 tiny white flowers. Each flower has four sharp-pointed petals, and is about 1/16–⅛″ (3–4 mm) around. Flowers appear from June to July.
Fruits: Pairs of globose mericarps or nutlets, 1/32–⅛″ (1.2–3.5 mm) in size, and smooth or wrinkled. Each nutlet contains a single seed.
Habitats: Marshes, wet fields and meadows, wetland edges, and swamps.
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Some Gallium species. |
Online References:
7/14/2012 · Gordon and Kathy’s, Prospect, Maine · ≈ 6 × 4″ (15 × 10 cm) 
ID is uncertain 
6/19/2024 · Red Rose Preserve, Bowdoinham, Maine · ≈ 3½ × 4″ (8.8 × 10 cm) 
6/19/2024 · Red Rose Preserve, Bowdoinham, Maine · ≈ 5 × 8″ (13 × 20 cm) 
The flowers and a few spatulate leaves are the marsh bedstraw. · 7/2/2016 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts 
8/16/2013 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 5 × 6″ (12 × 15 cm) ID is uncertain 
8/16/2013 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 6 × 4″ (14 × 10 cm) ID is uncertain 
7/14/2012 · Gordon and Kathy’s, Prospect, Maine · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (17 × 11 cm) ID is uncertain 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Magnoliopsida | Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves |
| Subclass | Asteridae | A large class that encompasses asters |
| Order | Gentianales | Gentians, coffee, gardenias, frangipani, many others |
| Family | Rubiaceae | Coffee, madder, and bedstraw family |
| Genus | Galium | From Greek gala, “milk,” because some Galium species were used to curdle milk |
| Species | palustre | Growing in marshes |
Galium palustre description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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