Northern bedstraw
Galium boreale

Family: Rubiaceae

What it is like

A herb. It keeps growing from year to year. The stems are leafy and often in clusters. The base is woody. The leafy stems are 70 cm high. The leaves do not have stalks. The leaves are narrow and in rings of four. They are 2.5-7 cm long. The flowers are small and in many flowered clusters at the ends of the stems.

There are about 300 Galium species. There are 60 species in tropical America.

Where it is found

It is a temperate plant. It grows on open, dry hillsides in the Rocky Mountains. In Sichuan and Yunnan.

Countries/locations it is found in

Afghanistan, Asia, Canada, Caucasus, Central Asia, China, Europe, India, Iran, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Luxembourg, Middle East, Mongolia, North America, Norway, Pakistan, Russia, Scandinavia, Siberia, Slovenia, Tibet, USA

How it is used for food

The leaves can be used in salads. The tender leaves and stems can be cooked and eaten as a vegetable. The roasted seeds can be used for coffee.

Edible parts

Leaves, seeds - coffee

How it is grown

Plants an be grown from seeds.

Its other names

Local names

Cleavers, Kvitmaure, Severna lakota

Synonyms

Galium hyssopifolium Hoffm.; Galium nervosum Lamk.; Galium strictum Torr.; and several others