Galium californicum
Encyclopedia
Galium californicum is a species of flowering plant in the coffee family
known by the common name California bedstraw.
, where it grows mainly in moist, shady habitat in mountainous areas.
This is a variable plant in the form of a small perennial herb to a sprawling woody-based shrub approaching a meter in height. Its stems and small oval-shaped leaves are hairy. The plant is dioecious
with male plants producing small clusters of staminate
flowers and female plants producing solitary flowers. Both types of flower are generally dull yellow. The fruit is a berry covered in soft hairs.
of the United States. The El Dorado bedstraw (ssp. sierrae) occurs in the Sierra Nevada foothills in the gabbro
soils of the Pine Hill Ecological Reserve
and surrounding area. It differs from ssp. californicum by its narrower leaves.
Rubiaceae
The Rubiaceae is a family of flowering plants, variously called the coffee family, madder family, or bedstraw family. The group contains many commonly known plants, including the economically important coffee , quinine , and gambier , and the horticulturally valuable madder , west indian jasmine ,...
known by the common name California bedstraw.
Description
Galium californicum is endemic to CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, where it grows mainly in moist, shady habitat in mountainous areas.
This is a variable plant in the form of a small perennial herb to a sprawling woody-based shrub approaching a meter in height. Its stems and small oval-shaped leaves are hairy. The plant is dioecious
Plant sexuality
Plant sexuality covers the wide variety of sexual reproduction systems found across the plant kingdom. This article describes morphological aspects of sexual reproduction of plants....
with male plants producing small clusters of staminate
Stamen
The stamen is the pollen producing reproductive organ of a flower...
flowers and female plants producing solitary flowers. Both types of flower are generally dull yellow. The fruit is a berry covered in soft hairs.
Conservation
There are two subspecies of the plant, one of which is rare and federally listed as an endangered speciesEndangered species
An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...
of the United States. The El Dorado bedstraw (ssp. sierrae) occurs in the Sierra Nevada foothills in the gabbro
Gabbro
Gabbro refers to a large group of dark, coarse-grained, intrusive mafic igneous rocks chemically equivalent to basalt. The rocks are plutonic, formed when molten magma is trapped beneath the Earth's surface and cools into a crystalline mass....
soils of the Pine Hill Ecological Reserve
Pine Hill Ecological Reserve
Pine Hill Ecological Reserve is a nature reserve of located due east of Folsom Lake, in El Dorado County, California. The reserve was established in 1979, and is managed by the California Department of Fish and Game....
and surrounding area. It differs from ssp. californicum by its narrower leaves.