Galium nuttallii is a species of flowering plant in the coffee family known by the common names San Diego bedstraw and climbing bedstraw. It is native to the coast and coastal Peninsular and western Transverse Ranges of southern California and Baja California, where it is a member of chaparral and pine woodland plant communities. It is also found on the Channel Islands and on the mainland as far north as Santa Barbara County[1][2][3][4]

Galium nuttallii
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Gentianales
Family: Rubiaceae
Genus: Galium
Species:
G. nuttallii
Binomial name
Galium nuttallii
Synonyms[1]

Galium suffruticosum Nutt. in J.Torrey & A.Gray 1841, illegitimate homonym of Galium suffruticosum Hook. & Arn. 1833.

Description

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Galium nuttallii is a climbing perennial herb producing a woody base and sprawling with thin, hanging green to red branches up to 1.5 meters long. The stems have whorls of four tiny sharp-pointed leaves at intervals, each leaf under a centimeter long. The plant is dioecious, with male and female individuals bearing different flower types. Both flowers are reddish, and the female flower ovary turns into a berry.[5][6][7][8]

Subspecies

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Two subspecies are recognized as of May 2014:[1]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
  2. ^ Biota of North America Program
  3. ^ CONABIO. 2009. Catálogo taxonómico de especies de México. 1. In Capital Nat. México. CONABIO, Mexico City.
  4. ^ Ferris, Roxana Stinchfield. 1955. Contributions from the Dudley Herbarium 4(8): 338–340.
  5. ^ Gray, Asa. 1852. Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge 3(5): 80, Galium nuttallii
  6. ^ Torrey, John & Asa Gray. 1841. Flora of North America 2(1): 21, Galium suffruticosum
  7. ^ Hickman, J. C. 1993. The Jepson Manual: Higher Plants of California 1–1400. University of California Press, Berkeley.
  8. ^ Munz, P. A. 1974. Flora of Southern California 1–1086. University of California Press, Berkeley.
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