[The Bedstraw Family East of the Cascade Mts. of Oregon and Washington]

Small Bedstraw, Small Cleavers, Threepetal Bedstraw, Three-petal Bedstraw

Galium trifidum

Synonyms: Galium brandegei, Galium cymosum, Galium tinctorium, Galium trifidum ssp. columbianum, Galium trifidum ssp. pacificum, Galium trifidum ssp. subbiflorum, Galium trifidum var. pacificum, Galium trifidum var. pusillum, Galium trifidum var. subbiflorum, Galium trifidum var. tinctorium

Small Bedstraw, Cleavers: Galium trifidum var. pacificum

The photo above shows a flower of small bedstraw as seen in drying streambeds which meander through Muddy Meadows on the northern slopes of Mt. Adams.........August 7, 2005.
whorled leaves of Small Bedstraw, Cleavers: Galium trifidum var. pacificumThe photo at right shows a whorl of leaves consisting of 6 leaves on a sample of small bedstraw from Road K1000 to the east of the Mt. Adams Highway........July 9, 2006. The whorls can contain 4-6 leaves.

Characteristics:

Small bedstraw is a small, often over-looked wildflower with numerous, slender and weak stems arising from slender, creeping rhizomes. The stems scramble over vegetation, are smooth to somewhat rough in texture, and range from 5-60 cm in length. The leaves are entirely on the stems and are found in whorls of 4's, 5's or 6's. Individual leaves are linear in shape with one central vein. They range from 10-25 mm long.

The infloresences are terminal or found in the leaf axils and are 1-3 flowered. The corolla is very small (ranging from 1-1.5 mm wide), typically with 3 petals (See photo at right.) although some flowers may occasionally have 4 petals. The fruits consist of 2 globular segments which are smooth (not covered with hairs).


Habitat:

Small bedstraw is found in moist places from sea level to high elevations in the mountains.


Range:

A wide-ranging plant, small bedstraw is found over much of the northern hemisphere. It may be found in North American from the Arctic south to California, northern New Mexico, Texas, Alabama and Georgia.


Small Bedstraw, Cleavers: Galium trifidum var. pacificum

Small bedstraw as seen along the southern shoreline at High Lake, Strawberry Mountain Wilderness.........July 17, 2013.

Small Bedstraw, Small Cleavers, Threepetal Bedstraw, Three-petal Bedstraw: Galium trifidum (Synonyms: Galium brandegei, Galium columbianum, Galium cymosum, Galium tinctorium, Galium trifidum ssp. columbianum, Galium trifidum ssp. pacificum, Galium trifidum ssp. subbiflorum, Galium trifidum ssp. subbifolium, Galium trifidum ssp. trifidum, Galium trifidum var. pacificum, Galium trifidum var. pusillum, Galium trifidum var. subbiflorum)

What appears to be small bedstraw blooming along a small spring-fed stream crossing the Lake Creek Trail #378, Strawberry Mountain Wilderness.........August 9, 2015.

Small Bedstraw, Cleavers: Galium trifidum var. pacificum


Paul Slichter