Galium muricatum

Humboldt bedstraw

Family: Rubiaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Humboldt bedstraw is a California native perennial found in northern Coast Ranges in shady, damp conifer or mixed forest at elevations of 50 to 1,100 meters. Flowering from May to October, this plant produces small, nearly yellow flowers in open, few-flowered clusters. Growing as a low, cushion-like herb with stems 7 to 20 centimeters tall that are generally smooth, it forms compact ground-hugging mats. Its leaves grow in whorls of 4, measuring 6 to 10 millimeters long, with elliptic to obovate shapes that are leathery and somewhat shiny, with obtuse tips softly pointed. The plant produces small, puberulent berries as its fruit.

Habitat: Shady, damp conifer or mixed forest

Bloom period: May-Oct

Elevation: 50-1100 m

Bioregions: NCoRO, NCoRH

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