Narrowleaf bedstraw facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Narrowleaf bedstraw |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Galium
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| Species: |
angustifolium
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The narrowleaf bedstraw (scientific name: Galium angustifolium) is a type of flowering plant. It belongs to the coffee family, which might sound surprising since it's not coffee! This plant is found naturally in California (including the Channel Islands) and Baja California. You can usually spot it growing in the mountains at lower elevations.
Narrowleaf bedstraw is a tough plant that lives for many years. It grows from a woody base and can be a small shrub or a sprawling herb. Its stems can reach almost a meter (about 3 feet) long. The leaves grow in groups of four, circling the stem at different points. New branches can also grow from these spots.
What Narrowleaf Bedstraw Looks Like
This plant produces many small flowers in a cluster called a panicle. The flowers are greenish-yellow. Interestingly, narrowleaf bedstraw plants are usually either male or female. This means that male flowers grow on one plant, and female flowers grow on a different plant. This is called being dioecious. After the female flowers are pollinated, they produce a small fruit called a nutlet. This nutlet is covered in long, bristly white or yellowish hairs.
Different Types of Narrowleaf Bedstraw
Just like there are different breeds of dogs, there are different types of plants within a species. These are called subspecies. Scientists have identified eight different subspecies of narrowleaf bedstraw. Each subspecies might have slight differences in how it looks or where it grows.
Some of these subspecies include:
- Galium angustifolium subsp. angustifolium - Found in California and Baja California.
- Galium angustifolium subsp. borregoense - Found in San Diego County.
- Galium angustifolium subsp. foliosum - Found on the northern Channel Islands.
- Galium angustifolium subsp. gabrielense - Found in Los Angeles and San Bernardino Counties.
- Galium angustifolium subsp. gracillimum - Found in San Bernardino and Riverside Counties.
- Galium angustifolium subsp. jacinticum - Found in the San Jacinto Mountains.
- Galium angustifolium subsp. nudicaule - Found in the San Gabriel and San Bernardino Mountains.
- Galium angustifolium subsp. onycense - Found in Kern County.
See also
In Spanish: Galium angustifolium para niños
