Gray's bedstraw facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Gray's bedstraw |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Galium
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| Species: |
grayanum
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Galium grayanum, also known as Gray's bedstraw, is a type of flowering plant. It belongs to the coffee family. This plant grows naturally in the high mountains of northern California, western Nevada, and southwestern Oregon.
Gray's bedstraw is a plant that lives for many years. It forms green, carpet-like patches on rocky mountain slopes. Its stems creep along the ground and can grow up to about 20 centimeters (almost 8 inches) long. The leaves are arranged in groups of four, called whorls, along the stem. They are oval-shaped, pointed, a bit thick, and feel soft like velvet. This plant has separate male and female plants (it's dioecious). Both male and female flowers look similar. They have small yellowish to reddish corollas (the colorful parts of a flower) at the ends of the leafy stems. The fruit is a small, dry seed called a nutlet. It has very long hairs. When the plant has many of these fuzzy nutlets, it looks quite fluffy!
Types of Gray's Bedstraw
Scientists recognize two main types, or subspecies, of Gray's bedstraw. These types are slightly different from each other.
Galium grayanum var. grayanum
This type of Gray's bedstraw is found in California and Oregon.
Galium grayanum var. nanum
This type is found in parts of California, like Tehama and Trinity Counties. It also grows in Nevada, for example, near Mt. Rose in Washoe County.
See also
In Spanish: Galium grayanum para niños
