8486.000 Galium L. - Bedstraws

Puff, C. in Verdcourt, B. (1988) Galium Flora Zambesiaca 5(1)

Description of the genus

Annual or perennial herbs, erect, creeping or climbing. Stems often 4-angled, sometimes prickly. Stipules similar to the leaves. Leaves (and leaf-like stipules) in whorls of 4-10, ± sessile. Flowers in axillary or terminal cymes, bisexual, rarely unisexual, usually 4-merous, not enclosed in an involucre. Calyx reduced to a rim; teeth 0. Corolla rotate to ± campanulate, greenish, creamy-white to bright yellow. Ovary 2-locular with 1 ovule per loculus. Fruit dry, glabrous or variously hairy, consisting of two 1-seeded mericarps.

Derivation of name: Milk (the leaves of Galium verum were used to curdle milk in cheesemaking)

Worldwide: 300 species, cosmopolitan

Zambia: 4 taxa.

The larvae of the following species of insect eat species of this genus:
Hippotion celerio (Silver-striped hawk, Vine hawk)
Macroglossum trochilus (African hummingbird)
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Links to taxa:     View: living plant images - herbarium specimen images - all images for this genus

SpeciesFZ divisionsProvincesContent
scabrellum K. Schum.N,EN,McDescription, Image
scioanum Chiov. var. glabrum Brenan Nw,C
scioanum Chiov. var. latum (De Wild.) Verdc. Nw
stenophyllum Baker N,CN,Mc,C

Other sources of information about Galium:

Our websites:

Flora of Caprivi: cultivated Galium
Flora of Malawi: Galium
Flora of Mozambique: Galium
Flora of Zimbabwe: Galium
Flora of Zimbabwe: cultivated Galium

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Galium
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Galium
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Galium
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Galium
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Galium
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Galium
JSTOR Plant Science: Galium
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Galium
Plants of the World Online: Galium
Tropicos: Galium
Wikipedia: Galium

Copyright: Mike Bingham, Annette Willemen, Bart Wursten, Petra Ballings and Mark Hyde, 2011-24

Bingham, M.G., Willemen, A., Wursten, B.T., Ballings, P. and Hyde, M.A. (2024). Flora of Zambia: Genus page: Galium.
https://www.zambiaflora.com/speciesdata/genus.php?genus_id=1425, retrieved 29 March 2024

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