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Galium trifidum

Small Bedstraw

At a Glance: Sprawling perennial with numerous stems from slender rhizomes.

Height: up to 28 inches (70 cm).
Growth Form: Herb.
Stems: Not barbed like the other bedstraws.
Leaves: In whorls of 4-6, 1 veined, blunt tipped, margins have bristles pointing backwards; shape: linear to narrowly elliptic; size: 0.5-2 cm long; color: light green.
Flowers: Small whitish flowers in several to many clusters of 1-3 on long, narrow stalks from branch tips and axils of leaf whorls; size: 1-3 mm wide.
Flowering Period: June, July, August, September.
Fruits: Fruits smooth and waxy, lacking bristles, form in pairs; shape: spherical; size: 2-4 mm diameter; color: green.


Photo © Ben Legler

Sun/Shade Tolerance	Hydrology	Elevation Range
full sun > 80% mostly sunny 60%-80% partial sun and shade 40%- 60% mostly shady 60%-80% full shade > 80%	FACW+ wet moist dry Wetland Indicator Status: FACW (facultative wetland)	Common from low to fairly high elevations. low elevation mid elevation sub-alpine high elevation

Soil Preferences
(data not available)

Habitat Preferences
Aquatic and Wetland: Ponds or lakes Shallow pools Sloughs Swales or wet ditches Seasonally inundated areas Marshes or swamps Aquatic bed wetlands Emergent wetlands Scrub-shrub wetlands Forested wetlands Bogs, fens Seeps, springs Shorelines and Riparian: Lake shores Bog margins Streams or rivers Stream or river banks Riparian corridors River bars Floodplains Bottomlands Alluvial areas	Saltwater Areas: In or near saltwater Mud flats Tidal areas Estuaries Saltmarshes Brackish water Seashores Coastal dunes or beaches Rocky or Gravelly Areas: Coastal bluffs Cliffs Rocky slopes Outcrops Crevices Glacial outwash Gullies Slide areas Sub-alpine and Alpine: Heaths Snow beds Tundra Avalanche tracks	Forests and Thickets: Forests and woods Open forests Coniferous forests Old growth forests Deciduous forests Mixed forests Nurse logs Forest edges, openings, or clearings Thickets Meadows and Fields: Pastures or fields Meadows or grassy areas Mossy areas Disturbed Areas: Roadsides Trailsides Logged sites Burned areas Disturbed sites

Wildlife Value

(data not available)

Ethnobotanical Uses and Other Facts

Material Uses: Bedstraws have long been used for bedding materials. They are used in Scandinavia to strain hair from milk. Roots can be used as a red dye.
Medicinal Uses: The entire dried herb was used to make tea to treat urinary tract infections.
Food Uses: The fruits can be collected while still greenish and ripe, roasted, and ground to create a satisfying coffee substitute.
Name Info: "Galium" comes from the Greek "gala" meaning milk, the bedstraws contain a milk curdling enzyme.

Suggested References

Cooke, S.S. A Field Guide to the Common Wetland Plants of Western Washington and Northwetern Oregon. Seattle Audubon Society and Washington Native Plant Society. Page 115.
Guard, B.J. 1995. Wetland Plants of Oregon & Washington. Lone Pine Publishing. Page 199.
Hitchcock, C.L., A. Cronquist. 1973. Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press. Page 450.
Jacobson A.L. 2001. Wild Plants of Greater Seattle. Published by author. Page 282.
Lyons, C., W. Merilees. Trees and Shrubs to Know in Washington and British Columbia. Lone Pine Publishing. Page 163.
Pojar, J., A. Mackinnon. 1994. Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast. Lone Pine Publishing. Page 331.

The landscaping and restoration information provided on this page is taken from the Starflower Foundation Image Herbarium. All photographs © Starflower Foundation unless otherwise noted.