Overview
Galium circaezans is a slender herbaceous perennial in the madder family (Rubiaceae), with erect to ascending four-angled stems reaching 8–24 inches (20–60 cm) from a creeping rhizome. The leaves are arranged in whorls of four, each oval to elliptic, 0.6–1.6 inches (1.5–4 cm) long, blunt-tipped, glossy above and marked with three main veins. In late spring and summer it bears small greenish-yellow flowers with four spreading lobes, scattered in branched clusters from the upper leaf whorls. Each flower gives way to a pair of dry, hooked-bristly fruits that cling to fur and clothing. It grows in dry to moist deciduous woods, shaded slopes, and woodland edges across eastern North America, usually in dappled light beneath the canopy. The flowers are minute, so the whorled foliage is the more conspicuous feature through the season. The dried roots carry a faint licorice or vanilla scent when bruised. It spreads gradually by rhizome and by clinging seed, forming loose patches rather than dense cover.
Native Range
Galium circaezans is native to eastern North America, from Quebec and Ontario south to Florida and Texas. It grows through much of the eastern deciduous forest in dry to moist shaded soils.Suggested Uses
Galium circaezans is used in woodland and native shade gardens as a groundlayer filler beneath trees and shrubs. Its clinging fruit and rhizomes let it knit into a loose understory mat. It supports small pollinating insects that visit the tiny summer flowers.How to Identify
Appearance
Size & Dimensions
Height8" - 2'
Width/Spread8" - 1'4"
Bloom Information
Detailed Descriptions
Foliage Description
greenGrowing Conditions
Sun Requirements
Requires 2-6 hours of direct sunlight daily
• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight
• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight
• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight