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Galium spurium

Table of Contents

Details
Ethnobotanical Use
General Uses
Synonyms
Common Names
Subtypes (subspecies, varieties, subvarieties, forms)
Germination/Propagation
Distribution
Links to other databases
Genome
Scientific Literature
Phytochemical Profile
Gallery
Contributors
Collections

Details Top

Internal ID UUID64403c913a4bc104975827
Scientific name Galium spurium
Authority L.
First published in Sp. Pl. : 106 (1753)

Ethnobotanical Use Top

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General Uses Top

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Food and beverages (non‑medicinal):
Young shoots and leaves of Galium spurium are edible. They can be eaten raw in salads, added to mixed‑green plates, or cooked as a potherb, similar to spinach or other tender leaf vegetables. The plant is listed in several wild‑food guides (e.g., Plants for a Future) as a palatable leaf vegetable. Its flavor is mild and slightly grassy, making it suitable for soups, stews, or as a garnish for grain dishes. Harvesting typically occurs in early spring before flowering, when stems are tender and the leaves have not yet become fibrous. Commercial cultivation is not reported; the species is harvested from wild or ruderal populations where it often grows abundantly. Regional foraging manuals occasionally note the use of Galium spurium in traditional spring salads, but the plant does not have a significant culinary history in modern markets.

Properties relevant to use:
The foliage is soft and low in lignin, allowing easy chewing without extensive preparation. Stems are slender (0.5–1 mm in diameter) and break readily, facilitating quick cleaning and cooking. The plant contains saponins and flavonoid compounds that impart a subtle bitter note but do not render the leaves unpalatable at typical consumption levels. These chemical constituents also contribute to the plant’s modest astringency, which can act as a natural preservative when the leaves are cooked in acidic broths.

Sustainability and sourcing:
Galium spurium is a cosmopolitan annual herb that thrives in disturbed soils, roadsides, field margins, and other anthropogenic habitats. Its wide geographic distribution and occasional abundance make selective harvesting of young shoots a low‑impact activity; the plant regrows quickly after cutting, and collection does not pose a conservation risk. No specific cultivation standards exist, but sustainable practices involve cutting only a portion of the shoots per plant to allow continued growth. In regions where the species is considered a weed, gathering for food purposes can serve a dual purpose of weed control while providing a wild‑food resource.

Standards and regulation:
Galium spurium is not listed among foods approved under the European Union’s Novel Food Regulation (EU 2015/2283). Consequently, commercial sale of the plant as a food ingredient would require a prior safety assessment and authorization. In the United States, it is not recognized by the FDA as GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) and therefore would not be permissible as an additive without a formal food‑additive petition. Wild collection for personal consumption is generally permitted where the species is abundant, but distributors must adhere to local food‑safety and plant‑harvesting regulations. No dedicated ISO or ASTM standards exist for this species; any processing follows general guidelines for wild‑collected leafy vegetables.

Synonyms Top

Scientific name Authority First published in
Aparine spuria Fourr. Ann. Soc. Linn. Lyon , n.s., 16: 397 (1868)
Galium spurium subsp. tenerum (Gren. & Godr.) Nyman Consp. Fl. Eur. 330 1879
Galium aparine subsp. tenerum (Gren. & Godr.) Cout. Fl. Portugal ed. 2: 691 1939
Galium aparine subsp. infestum Schübl. & G.Martens Fl. Würtemberg 103 1834
Galium aparine var. spurium (L.) Hiern Fl. Trop. Afr. 3: 245 1877
Galium agreste var. leiospermon Wallr. Sched. Crit. 59 1882
Galium aparine var. leiospermum (Wallr.) T.Durand Prodr. Fl. Belg. 3: 719 1903
Galium aparine var. spurium (L.) W.D.J.Koch Syn. Fl. Germ. Helv. 1: 331. 1835
Galium aparine f. spurium (L.) B.Boivin Naturaliste Canad. 93: 433 (1966)
Galium aparine subsp. spurium Dusén Use: Öfvers. Kongl. Vetensk.-Akad. Förh. 58: 238. 1901
Galium aparine f. tenerum (Gren. & Godr.) Hallier Syn. Deut. Schweiz. Fl. ed. 3: 1182 1893
Galium aparine var. tenerum (Gren. & Godr.) Rchb.f. Icon. Fl. Germ. Helv. 17: 94 1855
Galium aparine var. vaillantii (DC.) W.D.J.Koch Syn. Fl. Germ. Helv. 1: 330. 1835
Galium spurium var. echinospermum (Wallr.) Desp. Fl. Sarthe 118 1838
Galium spurium var. tenerum Gren. & Godr. Fl. France 2: 44 1850
Galium aparine f. vaillantii (DC.) W.D.J.Koch Syn. Fl. Germ. Helv. 330 1835
Galium spurium var. echinospermum (Wallr.) Hayek Ill. Fl. Deutschland 6(1): 229 1914
Galium aparine var. echinospermum (Wallr.) Farw. Rep. (Annual) Michigan Acad. Sci. 19: 260. 1917
Galium spurium subsp. glabrum Gaudin Fl. Helv. 1: 441 (1828)
Galium spurium var. genuinum Gren. Fl. France 2: 44 (1850)
Galium spurium var. leiospermon (Wallr.) Hayek Fl. Steiermark 2: 393 (1912)
Galium aparine var. spurium (L.) Wimm. & Grab. Fl. Siles. 1: 120 (1827)
Galium aparine subsp. spurium (L.) Hartm. Sv. Norsk Exc.-Fl. 23 (1846)
Galium aparine prol. spurium (L.) Samp. Fl. Port. , ed. 2: 540 (1947)

Common names Top

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Language Common/alternative name
English false cleavers
English marin county bedstraw
English stickwilly
Spanish galium aparine var. vaillantii
Spanish aparine vaillantii
Spanish galium aparine subsp. infestum
Spanish galium aparine subsp. spurium
Spanish galium aparine subsp. tenerum
Spanish galium aparine var. leiospermum
Arabic جويسئة زائفة
Belarusian макрэц
Belarusian макрыца цвятная
Belarusian дзяргун
Belarusian павіліца
Belarusian Маруна Вайяна
Belarusian Маруна Ваяна
Belarusian Маруна лжывая
Czech svízel pochybný
Welsh coeg-gynghafan
German grünblüten-labkraut
German unechtes labkraut
German saat-labkraut
German acker-labkraut
German kleinfrüchtiges kletten-labkraut
Estonian põldmadar
Finnish peltomatara
Upper Sorbian njeprawy sydrik
Japanese やえむぐら
Japanese 八重葎
Japanese ヤエムグラ
Korean 갈퀴덩굴
Latvian neīstā madara
Dutch akkerwalstro
Polish przytulia fałszywa
Russian Подмаренник ложный
Russian хваталка
Russian ползунец
Russian дерябка
Swedish småsnärjmåra
Chinese 猪殃殃
Chinese 羊角藤
Chinese 拉拉藤
Chinese 锯锯藤
Chinese 拉拉藤（变种）
Chinese 山花拉拉藤
Chinese 猪殃殃（变种）
Chinese 豬殃殃
Chinese 光果猪殃殃
Chinese 光果拉拉藤

Subspecies (abbr. subsp./ssp.) Top

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Name Authority First published in
Galium spurium subsp. africanum Verdc. Kew Bull. 30: 324 (1975)
Galium spurium subsp. ibicinum (Boiss.) Ehrend. Pl. Syst. Evol. 127: 305 (1977)
Galium spurium subsp. spurium Unknown

Varieties (abbr. var.) Top

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Subvarieties (abbr. subvar.) Top

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Forms (abbr. f.) Top

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No forms added yet.

Germination/Propagation Top

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No germination or propagation data was added yet.

Distribution (via POWO/KEW) Top

Legend for the distribution data:
- Doubtful data
- Extinct
- Introduced
- Native
  • Africa
    • East Tropical Africa
      • Kenya
      • Tanzania
      • Uganda
    • Macaronesia
      • Canary Islands
    • Northeast Tropical Africa
      • Chad
      • Eritrea
      • Ethiopia
      • Socotra
      • Somalia
      • Sudan
    • Northern Africa
      • Algeria
      • Egypt
      • Libya
      • Morocco
      • Tunisia
    • South Tropical Africa
      • Malawi
    • Southern Africa
      • Cape Provinces
      • Free State
      • Kwazulu-Natal
      • Northern Provinces
    • West-central Tropical Africa
      • Burundi
      • Rwanda
      • Zaïre
  • Asia-temperate
    • Arabian Peninsula
      • Saudi Arabia
      • Yemen
    • China
      • China North-central
      • China South-central
      • China Southeast
      • Inner Mongolia
      • Manchuria
      • Qinghai
      • Tibet
      • Xinjiang
    • Eastern Asia
      • Japan
      • Korea
      • Nansei-shoto
      • Taiwan
    • Middle Asia
      • Kirgizstan
      • Tadzhikistan
      • Turkmenistan
      • Uzbekistan
    • Russian Far East
      • Amur
      • Primorye
    • Siberia
      • Altay
      • Buryatiya
      • Chita
      • Irkutsk
      • Krasnoyarsk
      • West Siberia
      • Yakutskiya
    • Western Asia
      • Afghanistan
      • East Aegean Islands
      • Iran
      • Iraq
      • Palestine
      • Sinai
      • Turkey
  • Australasia
    • Australia
      • New South Wales
      • South Australia
      • Victoria
      • Western Australia
  • Europe
    • Eastern Europe
      • Baltic States
      • Belarus
      • Central European Russia
      • East European Russia
      • Krym
      • North European Russia
      • Northwest European Russia
      • South European Russia
      • Ukraine
    • Middle Europe
      • Austria
      • Belgium
      • Czechoslovakia
      • Germany
      • Hungary
      • Netherlands
      • Poland
      • Switzerland
    • Northern Europe
      • Denmark
      • Finland
      • Great Britain
      • Norway
      • Sweden
    • Southeastern Europe
      • Albania
      • Bulgaria
      • Greece
      • Italy
      • Kriti
      • Romania
      • Sicilia
      • Turkey-in-Europe
      • Yugoslavia
    • Southwestern Europe
      • Baleares
      • Corse
      • France
      • Portugal
      • Sardegna
      • Spain
  • Northern America
    • Eastern Canada
      • New Brunswick
      • Nova Scotia
      • Ontario
      • Prince Edward Island
      • Québec
    • North-central U.S.A.
      • Illinois
    • South-central U.S.A.
      • New Mexico
    • Western Canada
      • Alberta
      • Manitoba
      • Saskatchewan

Links to other databases Top

Suggest others/fix!
Database ID/link to page
World Flora Online wfo-0000970236
Canadensys 9018
Tropicos 27900106
INPN 99549
Flora of Italy 4167
KEW urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:750665-1
The Plant List kew-87547
PFAF Galium spurium
Open Tree Of Life 527413
Observations.org 6817
NCBI Taxonomy 1117032
NBN Atlas NBNSYS0000004320
IPNI 750665-1
iNaturalist 208784
GBIF 2913214
Freebase /m/02vv4kg
EPPO GALSP
EOL 1110448
Elurikkus 4844
USDA GRIN 316691
Wikipedia Galium_spurium

Genomes (via NCBI) Top

Below is displayed the reference genome only!
If you wish to browse all genomes for this plant click here.
Accession Assembly
Name Level Submitter Released Coverage Size
GCA_051170945.1 ASM5117094v1 Chromosome Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada 2025-07-01 116 305.99 Mb

Scientific Literature Top

Below are displayed the latest 15 articles published in PMC (PubMed Central®) and other sources (DOI number only)!
If you wish to see all the related articles click here.
Title Authors Publication Released IDs
Local knowledge of homegarden plants in Miao ethnic communities in Laershan region, Xiangxi area, China Luo J, Li Q, He J, Yan J, Zhang S, Chang X, Wu T J Ethnobiol Ethnomed 18-Mar-2024
PMCID:PMC10946099
doi:10.1186/s13002-024-00676-x
PMID:38500123
A decade of advances in the study of buckwheat for organic farming and agroecology (2013-2023) Vieites-Álvarez Y, Reigosa MJ, Sánchez-Moreiras AM Front Plant Sci 06-Mar-2024
PMCID:PMC10950947
doi:10.3389/fpls.2024.1354672
PMID:38510443
Study on Design, Synthesis and Herbicidal Activity of Novel 6-Indazolyl-2-picolinic Acids Liu Q, Shi RC, Li HT, Wei W, Yuan X, Liu SZ, Cao YM Molecules 09-Jan-2024
PMCID:PMC10819873
doi:10.3390/molecules29020332
PMID:38257244
The Distribution Characteristics of Vegetation in the Subrange of the Altai Mountains, Xinjiang Cao Q, Wei Y, Li W, Feng Y, Abduraimov OS Plants (Basel) 20-Nov-2023
PMCID:PMC10675357
doi:10.3390/plants12223915
PMID:38005812
Review of the Narrow-Banded Hawkmoth, Neogurelca montana (Rothschild & Jordan, 1915) (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae) in China, with Morphological and Phylogenetic Analysis Xu ZB, He JB, Yang N, Kitching IJ, Hu SJ Insects 16-Oct-2023
PMCID:PMC10607751
doi:10.3390/insects14100818
PMID:37887830
Relationship between Species Diversity and Community Stability in Degraded Alpine Meadows during Bare Patch Succession She Y, Li X, Li C, Yang P, Song Z, Zhang J Plants (Basel) 15-Oct-2023
PMCID:PMC10610337
doi:10.3390/plants12203582
PMID:37896045
Road Impact on Plant Colonization in the Arid Timanfaya National Park Bernardos M, Cornejo NS, Torres Hassan AD, Cabrera R, Arévalo JR Plants (Basel) 13-Oct-2023
PMCID:PMC10610428
doi:10.3390/plants12203568
PMID:37896031
Development of Simple Sequence Repeat Markers and Genetic Diversity Evaluation of Mycocentrospora acerina in Yunnan Province, China Wang H, Yang K, Huang H, Guo L, He X J Fungi (Basel) 19-Sep-2023
PMCID:PMC10532959
doi:10.3390/jof9090944
PMID:37755052
More than urns: A multi-method pipeline for analyzing cremation burials Waltenberger L, Bosch MD, Fritzl M, Gahleitner A, Kurzmann C, Piniel M, Salisbury RB, Strnad L, Skerjanz H, Verdianu D, Snoeck C, Kanz F, Rebay-Salisbury K PLoS One 30-Aug-2023
PMCID:PMC10468036
doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0289140
PMID:37647251
Characterization and phylogenetic analysis of the chloroplast genome of galium spurium Yin H, Huang K, Xie P, Mo P, Zhang N, Wang Y Mitochondrial DNA B Resour 29-Mar-2023
PMCID:PMC10062210
doi:10.1080/23802359.2023.2172971
PMID:37006957
Important Medicinal and Food Taxa (Orders and Families) in Kenya, Based on Three Quantitative Approaches Mutie FM, Mbuni YM, Rono PC, Mkala EM, Nzei JM, Phumthum M, Hu GW, Wang QF Plants (Basel) 02-Mar-2023
PMCID:PMC10005506
doi:10.3390/plants12051145
PMID:36904005
Seed Germination of Three Milk Thistle (Silybum marianum (L.) Gaertn.) Populations of Greek Origin: Temperature, Duration, and Storage Conditions Effects Liava V, Ntatsi G, Karkanis A Plants (Basel) 24-Feb-2023
PMCID:PMC10005779
doi:10.3390/plants12051025
PMID:36903886
Proteomic Analysis Comparison on the Ecological Adaptability of Quinclorac-Resistant Echinochloa crus-galli Wu L, Wu C, Yang H, Yang J, Wang L, Zhou S Plants (Basel) 04-Feb-2023
PMCID:PMC9968053
doi:10.3390/plants12040696
PMID:36840044
Living grass mulching improves soil enzyme activities through enhanced available nutrients in citrus orchards in subtropical China Wang N, Li L, Gou M, Jian Z, Hu J, Chen H, Xiao W, Liu C Front Plant Sci 08-Dec-2022
PMCID:PMC9772056
doi:10.3389/fpls.2022.1053009
PMID:36570917
Belowground seed and bud banks play complementary roles in the potential recruitment of dominant macrophyte communities in a Yangtze River-connected floodplain wetland Chen XS, Huang Y, Cai YH, Hou ZY, Deng ZM, Li F, Zou YA, Xie YH Front Plant Sci 06-Dec-2022
PMCID:PMC9763321
doi:10.3389/fpls.2022.1075496
PMID:36561449

Phytochemical Profile Top

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Below are displayed the proven (via scientific papers) natural compounds!
You can also contribute to this by clicking here.
Name PubChem ID Canonical SMILES MW Found in Proof
> Benzenoids / Anthracenes / Anthraquinones
1-Hydroxy-2-methylanthraquinone 160817 Click to see 238.24 unknown https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9422(93)85131-A
8-Hydroxy-3-methoxy-7-methyl-1,2-methylenedioxy-anthraquinone 129713930 Click to see 312.27 unknown https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9422(93)85131-A
> Benzenoids / Anthracenes / Anthraquinones / Hydroxyanthraquinones
1,2-Dihydroxy-6-methylanthracene-9,10-dione 5319503 Click to see 254.24 unknown https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9422(93)85131-A
1,3-Dihydroxyanthraquinone 196978 Click to see 240.21 unknown https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9422(93)85131-A
1,5,7-Trihydroxy-6-methoxy-2-methylanthraquinone 10040428 Click to see 300.26 unknown https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9422(93)85131-A
1,7-Dihydroxy-6,8-dimethoxy-2-methylanthraquinone 25202491 Click to see 314.29 unknown https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9422(93)85131-A
Purpurin 1-methyl ether 442766 Click to see COC1=C(C=C(C2=C1C(=O)C3=CC=CC=C3C2=O)O)O 270.24 unknown https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9422(93)85131-A
Rubiadin 124062 Click to see CC1=C(C=C2C(=C1O)C(=O)C3=CC=CC=C3C2=O)O 254.24 unknown https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9422(93)85131-A
> Organic oxygen compounds / Organooxygen compounds / Carbohydrates and carbohydrate conjugates / Glycosyl compounds / O-glycosyl compounds
Asperuloside 84298 Click to see CC(=O)OCC1=CC2C3C1C(OC=C3C(=O)O2)OC4C(C(C(C(O4)CO)O)O)O 414.40 unknown https://doi.org/10.1016/S0031-9422(00)84499-4

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