Galium matthewsii
Matthews' bedstraw, Matthews' Bedstraw
Family: Rubiaceae · Type: perennial · Native
Matthews' bedstraw is a California native perennial found in the Sierra Nevada, White and Inyo Mountains, and eastern Mojave Desert on dry, rocky slopes and washes at elevations of 1,100 to 3,000 meters. Flowering from May to August, this plant produces small, approximately yellow flowers in long, spreading panicles. Growing with stiff, erect stems 13 to 30 centimeters tall that are often tangled and many-branched from the base, it forms an open, glabrous habit with a woody foundation. Its leaves grow in whorls of 4, measuring 2 to 10 millimeters long, with lanceolate to ovate blades that are leathery, arched, and sharp to the touch. The fruit consists of small nutlets 3 to 4 millimeters long, adorned with long, straight hairs.
Habitat: Dry, rocky slopes, washes
Bloom period: May-Aug
Elevation: 1100-3000 m
Bioregions: SNH, W&I, DMoj.
California counties: Inyo, San Bernardino, Fresno, Kern
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.