Common name:
Starry bedstraw
Family:
Scientific name:
Galium stellatum
Main flower color:
Range:
Arizona, south California, south Nevada and southwest Utah
Height:
Up to 3 feet
Habitat:
Canyons, desert slopes, rocky hillsides, from 1,000 to 5,000 feet
Leaves:
Narrowly lanceolate to linear, usually up to 0.3 inches long, sometimes twice this
Season:
February to May
The rigid stems of galium stellatum are covered by short, rough hairs, and they branch readily, the branches spreading or ascending. The pointed, grey-green leaves are in whorls of four, at regular, closely-spaced intervals, and have a similar hair covering. Leaves taper smoothly to a sharp point.
The inflorescence is a leafy panicle, at the top of the branches, typically containing a dozen or more flowers. The small, star-shaped flowers have a white to greenish-yellow, four-lobed corolla, hairy on the underside, containing either stamens or a pistil. Fruits are small, paired nutlets, enclosed by many long, straight, white hairs.
The inflorescence is a leafy panicle, at the top of the branches, typically containing a dozen or more flowers. The small, star-shaped flowers have a white to greenish-yellow, four-lobed corolla, hairy on the underside, containing either stamens or a pistil. Fruits are small, paired nutlets, enclosed by many long, straight, white hairs.
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