Download Environmental Weed – Cleavers (Galium aparine L.)

Environmental Weed – Cleavers (Galium aparine L.)
More common
names for this weed
are: Velcro weed,
Velcro plant, sticky
weed, barweed,
bedstraw, burrweed,
catch weed, cleavers,
goosegrass,
everlasting friendship,
goose-grass, grip
grass, hayruff, hedge
clivers, mutton chops,
robin run over the
hedge, robin-run-inthe-grass, scratch
grass, stickyweed,
sticky-willy, or white
hedge
The plant originally is a native to Europe and western Asia (i.e. Eurasia) but its
species is now very widespread and its exact natural distribution is obscure.This
species is widely naturalised in Australia and is particularly common in the wetter
temperate regions of south-eastern Australia (i.e. it is widespread and common in
New South Wales, the ACT, Victoria, Tasmania and south-eastern South Australia).
It is also occasionally naturalised in south-western Western Australia and in the
cooler districts of south-eastern Queensland.
Where it grows - This species is mostly commonly found growing in temperate
environments, but
sometimes also inhabits
sub-tropical and semi-arid
regions. It is a weed of
crops, orchards, gardens,
waste areas, disturbed
sites, pastures,
grasslands, open
woodlands, closed forests
and margins, waterways
and wetlands.
Distinguishing features
This is an annual,
sprawling herb which has
small hooks along the
stems, at the tip and along the edges of the leaves and on the fruit. These hooks will
catch (cleave) onto clothes, fur and feathers helping this plant to spread to new
locations.
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The stem is square in crosssection. It has hooked bristles
mostly along the angles and may
have long thin hairs at the nodes
(place on the stem from where
leaves arise).
Leaves are in whorls of 5-9.
Leaves are lance-shaped with the
apex or tip broadly rounded. The
leaf margins, the upper surface of
the leaf and the midvein on the
lower surface all have small
hooked hairs.
Flowers are small and appear on
a short straight stem from the
nodes and are in small clusters.
Each small flower has 4 white
petals.
Fruit is kidney-shaped, densely
covered with hooked hairs on a
straight pedicel (flower stalk).
Hooked hairs on leaves, stems
and fruits will attach to passing
animals or humans who brush
against this plant to assist in plant
and fruit dispersal.
Impacts
Cleavers (Galium aparine) is regarded as an environmental weed in Victoria,
Tasmania and New South Wales. It invades a variety of native habitats including dry
coastal vegetation, coastal sand dunes, rocky sites, open woodlands, temperate
rainforests, wetlands and riparian
areas.
This species is thought to pose a
very serious threat to one or
more vegetation formations in
Victoria (e.g. riparian forests and
riverine escarpment scrub).
Cleavers (Galium aparine) is a
common weed of crops,
orchards, gardens, and pastures
in southern Australia and New
South Wales. In pasture
situations its prickly stems can
cause injury, and so are not
readily grazed by livestock. The fruit may also contaminate fleece, increasing
vegetable fault in wool.
Similar Species
Cleavers (Galium aparine) is very similar to false cleavers (Galium spurium), threehorned bedstraw (Galium tricornutum), slender bedstraw (Galium divaricatum) and
small bedstraw (Galium murale). These species can be distinguished by the
following differences:
Cleavers (Galium aparine) has relatively slender (up to 2 mm thick) and somewhat
stiff stems that are often more than 50 cm long. Its relatively large (10-80 mm long)
leaves are arranged in groups (i.e. whorls) of six to nine along the stems. Its white
flowers are arranged in relatively loose clusters and its relatively large fruit (2-6 mm
across) are densely covered in hooked bristles.
False cleavers (Galium spurium) has relatively thick (1-4 mm thick) and stiff stems
that that are often more than 50 cm long. Its relatively large (12-62 mm long) leaves
are arranged in groups (i.e. whorls) of six to ten along the stems. Its greenish-yellow
flowers are borne in small dense clusters and its relatively small fruit (less than 3 mm
across) are densely covered in hooked bristles.
Three-horned bedstraw (Galium tricornutum) has relatively slender (up to 2 mm
thick) and somewhat stiff stems that are often more than 50 cm long. It relatively
large (10-50 mm long) leaves are arranged in groups (i.e. whorls) of six to eight
along the stems. Its white flowers are arranged in small, relatively dense, clusters
and its relatively large fruit (3-5 mm across) are turned downwards (i.e. deflexed) do
not have any hairs or bristles (instead they are covered in small lumps known as
tubercules).
Slender bedstraw (Galium divaricatum) has very slender (about 1 mm thick)
delicate stems that are usually less than 30 cm long. Its very small (less than 10 mm
long) leaves are usually arranged in groups (i.e. whorls) of six to eight along the
stems (except on flowering branches). Its white to yellowish-red flowers are borne
singly or in pairs and its tiny fruit (0.5-1 mm long) are not covered in hairs or bristles
(instead they are covered in small lumps known as papillae).
Small bedstraw (Galium murale) has very slender (about 1 mm thick) delicate
stems that are usually less than 15 cm long. Its very small (less than 10 mm long)
leaves are arranged in groups (i.e. whorls) of three to six along the stems. Its white
or yellowish-green flowers are borne singly or in pairs and its very small fruit (1-1.5
mm long) are covered in small hairs or bristles (particularly towards their tips).
Native Look alikes. Cleavers (Galium aparine) is also similar to some of the native
bedstraws (Galium spp.), but these native species generally have leaves in groups
(i.e. whorls) of three to five. It is also relatively similar to field madder (Sherardia
arvensis ) and Indian chickweed (Mollugo verticillata). However, field madder
(Sherardia arvensis ) has lilac to white stalkless (i.e. sessile) flowers that are borne
in small dense clusters and Indian chickweed (Mollugo verticillata) is a mostly
hairless plant that has flowers with five petals.
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