Montane, subalpine. Woodlands, meadows. Summer.
Above: Rough Canyon Trail, July 1, 2020; West side of Bolam Pass, July 31, 2020; Navajo Lake Trail, July 31, 2015; Lower Calico National Recreation Trail, August 13, 2019; Navajo Lake Trail, September 23, 2020.
Left: West Mancos Trail, June 27, 2004.
Below: Lower Calico National Recreation Trail, August 13, 2019 and West side of Bolam Pass, July 31, 2020.

Northern Bedstraw is a common plant with a slender, erect stem, a whorl of four leaves per node, and sprays of tiny redolent flowers.  In mid-summer the flower clusters have an intensely sweet smell. By late summer and fall, flowers fade and tiny, hairy seed capsules provide the show.

Bedstraws are often called "Cleavers" because they cleave to clothes with their many, tiny barbed hairs that you can see along the edge of the leaves below.

"Gala" is Greek for milk (as in our "Galaxy", the "Milky Way") and refers to Northern Bedstraw’s bad habit of curdling the milk of cattle.  "Septentrionale" is Latin for "northern".  "Boreale" is Greek for "northern".

This plant was first named Galium boreale by Linnaeus in 1753 from Eurasian specimens, but Weber indicates that the Eurasian species differs from our species and thus, in his view should be given Roemer and Schultes' 1818 designation of Galium septentrionale. John Kartesz, ultimate authority for all names on this web site, accepts Linnaeus' designation of Galium boreale.

Also see Galium coloradoense.

Montane, subalpine. Woodlands, meadows. Summer.
Lone Mesa State Park, July 9, 2008.

Galium boreale.  Synonym: Galium septentrionale. (Northern Bedstraw)
Rubiaceae (Madder Family)

and

Galium triflorum.  (Bedstraw)
Rubiaceae (Madder Family)

Montane, subalpine. Woodlands, meadows. Summer.
West Mancos Trail, June 27, 2004 and June 18, 2010.

G. boreale has four leaves in a whorl; Galium triflorum has six.

Montane, subalpine. Woodlands, meadows. Summer.
Bear Creek Trail, June 29, 2010.

Galium triflorum flowers are minute, range from white to green, are borne in threes, widely diverge, and are densely bristly with hooked hairs.

Andre Michaux named and described this circumboreal species in 1803 from a specimen probably collected in Canada.

Range map © John Kartesz,
Floristic Synthesis of North America

State Color Key

Species present in state and native
Species present in state and exotic
Species not present in state

County Color Key

Species present and not rare
Species present and rare
Species extirpated (historic)
Species extinct
Species noxious
Species exotic and present
Native species, but adventive in state
Eradicated
Questionable presence

Range map for Galium boreale

Range map for Galium triflorum