Aptly Named "Cleavers"

Day 217: Galium odoratum is one of several Bedstraws which go by the common name of "Cleavers," and how aptly named they are! When in fruit, these plants carry dozens of small, round burrs which cling tenaciously to socks, boot laces and flannel shirt cuffs, to say nothing of attaching themselves to animal fur which assists in their transport to new locations. Galium odoratum is a non-native species, identifiable by the number of leaves in the whorl. Ten native Galium species are known to occur in Washington, as well as four which were introduced from Europe. Galium odoratum is fragrant, hence its alternative common name, "Sweet-scented Bedstraw."

Galium Odoratum, Non-Native Bedstraw

Day 234: In case you missed the update I added to yesterday's post, my observation of Ceratiomyxa fruticulosa var. poroides documented a new species of slime mold for Mount Rainier National Park, bringing the list total to 54. For being in voluntary isolation, I'm having a surprisingly good year, botanically speaking. As my readers are aware, I live for the joy of discovery, but sometimes...well, sometimes I locate species I'd rather not have found, case in point: Galium odoratum, a non-native Bedstraw.

A casual observer might not have given this species of Cleavers a second look, but something didn't seem right to me when I focused on it a couple of years back. There were too many leaflets on the stem, 8-10 in most cases, with 11 on some. That ruled out G. aparine which normally bears 8. I checked my references, double-checked, and then sent a photo off to the collections manager of the Burke Herbarium for expert confirmation. He verified my ID, and asked me where I'd found it since it was a non-native species and somewhat invasive (although not listed as such with the state). I was a little ashamed to tell him the location, but confessed in the name of science, "In my back yard." Native or non-native, Bedstraw is not one of my favourite plants. It grabs ankles when you're walking through it, leaves your socks covered in "Velcro" burrs when it's in seed, and it seems to be a magnet for ticks in a wide variety of environments from dry SW Washington prairie to damp forest edges. Short of using herbicide or spending all the rest of my life pulling it, I have no idea how to get rid of it.

Nuisance (Non)-Native

Day 204: May the gods of botany strike me where I stand, this represents one native plant genus I would not miss if it died out entirely. Its various species and subspecies can all be lumped under the common names of Bedstraw or Cleavers, and the latter is particularly descriptive of the obnoxious, sticky, amazingly persistent burrs it produces. Walk through a patch of Galium and you'll spend the next half hour de-seeding your socks and pantlegs. You might even find a tick or two because they love hiding out in the stuff (I learned the hard way). This particular species grows in the woods at the edge of my yard where I can keep it contained by mowing, but given half a chance, it would spread until it had subsumed the dandelions, crushed the hawkweed, suffocated the moss and crept in through my bedroom window to strangle me as I slept. Resistant to all methods I've employed to eradicate it, it's just waiting for its moment to take over the world.

Update: Confirmed that this is Galium odoratum, a non-native Bedstraw.