Galium californicum subsp. californicum

Family: Rubiaceae · Type: perennial · Native

California bedstraw is a California native perennial found in northern coastal and central western California in shady to open conifer or mixed forest, chaparral, sea cliffs, and hillsides at elevations of 15 to 1,520 meters. Flowering from March to July, this plant produces small white flowers in delicate clusters. Growing in open mats or tangled masses up to 32 centimeters tall, with stems that are occasionally woody at the base and covered in coarse hairs. Its leaves are soft and delicate, measuring 6 to 18 millimeters long, with ovate to elliptic shapes and obtuse to abruptly acute tips. The fruits are characteristically hairy, adding texture to this versatile ground-covering plant.

Habitat: Shady to open places, conifer or mixed forest, chaparral, sea cliffs, hillsides

Bloom period: Mar-Jul

Elevation: 15-1520 m

Bioregions: NCoRO, NCoRI, CW.

California counties: Mendocino, Sonoma, Monterey, Lake, Santa Cruz, Marin, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Shasta, San Benito, San Diego, Contra Costa, San Luis Obispo, San Francisco, Trinity, Napa, Humboldt, Alameda, Colusa, San Bernardino, Santa Barbara

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.