RUBIACEAETHE “MADDER FAMILY”

RubiaceaeThe “Madder Family”

Herbs, shrubs, woody vines or trees Leaves opposite or whorled, simple, stipulate; stipules

sometimes indistinguishable from leaves in plants with apparently whorled leaves

Plants synoecious (rarely dioecious) Flowers perfect, regular (rarely irregular) Sepals 4 or 5, connate or distinct (sometimes apparently absent

by reduction) Petals 4 or 5 (8-10), connate Stamens 4 or 5, distinct; filaments adnate to corolla Carpels 2 (1-many), connate; ovary inferior (very rarely suprior)

with 2 (3-many) locules and 1-many axile ovules per locule (rarely with 1 locule and many parietal ovules); style 1, undivided

Fruit a berry, drupe, capsule, or schizocarp

Galium aparine (Sticky-willy)

Also known as: Cleavers, Catchweed Bedstraw, Goose-grass

Family: Rubiaceae (Madder) Life cycle: annual Origin: native Habitat: shade to part sun; moist woods,

thickets Bloom season: spring to early summer Plant height: 4 to 40 inches

Galium aparine (Sticky-willy)

Flower: Flowers are in groups of 2 to 5 at the end of a stem that arises from a leaf axil. Individual flowers have 4 pointed white petals with a greenish center, and are about 1/16 inch across.

Galium aparine (Sticky-willy)

Leaves and stem: Leaves are whorled in groups of 6 to 8. Individual leaves are narrow, ¾ to 3½ inches long and less than ½ inch wide, broadest towards the tip. The leaf tip is sharply pointed and it may look like a spine. The stem is square. The leaves and stem are covered with hooked hairs (see the flower photo above for a better close-up) that latch onto anything that brushes against them. The stem is weak so the plant often sprawls across the ground, or climbs up other plants.

Galium aparine (Sticky-willy)

Fruit: Fruit is a tiny ball-like capsule, containing a single seed. The capsules are also covered with tiny barbs and stick to anything that passes by.

Notes: Beware of walking through the woods when Sticky-willy goes to seed. The little balls will stick to your clothing and are really hard to remove. A similar species is Rough Bedstraw (G. asprellum), which is much more heavily branched than Sticky-willy, and has smooth fruit.

Galium boreale (Northern Bedstraw)

Family: Rubiaceae (Madder) Life cycle: perennial Origin: native Habitat: sun to part shade; open woods,

fields, prairies Bloom season: late spring to early

summer Plant height: 1 to 3 feet

Galium boreale (Northern Bedstraw)

Flower: Flowers are in many small dense round clusters 1 to 3 inches across branching off the top of the plant and from stems arising from the leaf axils in the upper part of the plant. Individual flowers are 1/8 to ¼ inch across with 4 white petals pointed at the tip and 4 creamy-tipped stamens.

Galium boreale (Northern Bedstraw)

Leaves and stem: Leaves are whorled in groups of 4. Each leaf is ¾ to 2 inches long and about ¼ inch wide, toothless, with a rounded base, gradually tapering to a blunt point at the tip, and no leaf stem. There are 3 distinct parallel veins, and fine hairs along the leaf edges. The main stem is smooth and square.

Galium boreale (Northern Bedstraw)

Notes: There are several species of bedstraw growing in Minnesota, all with tiny white flowers (most with 4 petals) and whorled leaves. One of the first clues in distinguishing them are the number of leaves in a whorl. Northern Bedstraw is most easily identified by the whorls of 4 narrow leaves and its smooth stem. Many other bestraws have sticky stems. Northern Bedstraw tends to grow in clumps or colonies.

Houstonia longifolia (Long-leaf Bluets)

Family: Rubiaceae (Madder) Life cycle: perennial Origin: native Habitat: sun to part shade; dry, rocky soil,

prairies, open woods Bloom season: late spring, summer Plant height: 3 to 10 inches

Houstonia longifolia (Long-leaf Bluets)

Flower: 1 to 3 flowers are clustered at the end of branching stems in the upper part of the plant. Individual flowers are about ¼ inch across, pale blue to white, tubular with 4 sharply pointed lobes and 4 stamens with creamy white to yellow tips. The inside of the tube is hairy. The bracts at the base of the tube are narrowly triangular and about 1/8 inch long. Leaves and stem:

Houstonia longifolia (Long-leaf Bluets)

Leaves and stem: Leaves are narrow, to 1¼ inches long and ¼ inch wide, toothless and hairless, with a pointed tip and no leaf stem. Attachment is opposite and there is a small whitish triangular appendage (stipule) on opposite sides the leaf node. The main stem is smooth and 4 sided, with rounded corners

References Vascular Plant Taxonomy Fifth Edition Dirk

R. Walters, David J. Keil, and Zack E. Murrell.

http://www.minnesotawildflowers