White Bedstraw

(Galium mollugo)

An erect, vine-like herbaceous perennial growing to 4 feet tall. Plants have tiny white flowers and long, slender whorled leaves.

Other names for this plant include:

• Common names: smooth bedstraw, false baby's-breath, wild madder
• Scientific names: Galium erectum, Galium mollugo var. erectum

Ecological threat:

• Invades grasslands, open woodlands, meadows, pastures, riverbanks, and disturbed areas such as roadside ditches.
• Tolerates a wide variety of soil types, from silt and sand to dense red clays.
• A competitor to both long-lived and short-lived forage crops. Quickly crowds out native and non-native crop plants.
• It contains a toxin that causes toxicity in animals.

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