Rubiaceae

Galium L.

First published in Sp. Pl.: 105 (1753)
This genus is accepted
The native range of this genus is Cosmopolitan.

Descriptions

Rubiaceae, B. Verdcourt. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1976

Morphology General Habit
Annual or perennial herbs, sometimes slightly shrubby at the base, with erect, decumbent or ± climbing 4-angled stems, glabrous to hispid and sometimes with small prickles
Morphology Leaves
Leaves in whorls of 3–10–many; blades setaceous to ovate, sometimes with prickly margins; stipules foliar and counted with the leaves
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers hermaphrodite or rarely unisexual, usually very small, arranged in a basically thyrsoid inflorescence, but mostly in exinvolucrate ebracteate axillary or terminal cymes or rarely solitary; pedicel articulated with the calyx
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx-tube ovoid or globose; limb obsolete, but usually with a ring of sessile colleters
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla usually white, yellow or reddish, rotate; lobes (3–)4(–5)
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens (3–)4; filaments short, inserted in the very short tube
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
Ovary 2-locular; ovules solitary in each locule, affixed to the septum, amphitropous; styles 2, short, sometimes connate below; stigmas capitate
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Disc
Disc annular
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit 2-lobed, each lobe with 1 seed, leathery and ± dry or somewhat to quite distinctly fleshy, smooth or tuberculate, glabrous, hairy or with hooked bristles
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds with membranous testa adhering to the pericarp, dorsally convex, ventrally excavated; albumen horny.
[FTEA]

Rubiaceae, B. Verdcourt. Flora Zambesiaca 5:1. 1989

Morphology General Habit
Perennial herbs or annuals.
Morphology Stem
Stems erect, creeping or climbing, often distinctly 4-angled, glabrous, hairy or with recurved prickles.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves in whorls of 4–10, (sub)sessile, blades linear, lanceolate to (ob)ovate, mostly with a prominent midvein (1-nerved).
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers in axillary and/or terminal many-to few-flowered cymes, hermaphrodite (and protandrous), rarely unisexual, 4-merous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx lobes obsolete.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla rotate or (sub) campanulate, greenish (-yellow), creamy white to bright yellow, lobes ovate to triangular, acute to acuminate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens Anthers
Anthers exserted.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
Ovary bilocular, one ovule in each chamber, crowned by an often 2-lobed disk; style branches 2, joined below; stigmas capitate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit dry (in the Flora Zambesiaca area), glabrous or variously hairy, dehiscing into 2 (sub) globose or reniform mericarps, each with a single seed, round on dorsal side, ± excavated on ventral side; one mericarp occasionally aborted.
[FZ]

M. Thulin et al. Flora of Somalia, Vol. 1-4 [updated 2008] https://plants.jstor.org/collection/FLOS

Morphology General Habit
Annual or perennial herbs, often with 4-angled stems
Morphology Leaves
Leaves in whorls of 4–10 (including leaf-like stipules), sessile or almost so; blades linear to ovate
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers in axillary and/or terminal cymes, usually 4-merous and bisexual. Calyx-lobes obsolete
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla mostly rotate; lobes valvate in bud
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary
Ovary 2-celled, with 1 ovule in each cell; style 2-fid with capitate stigmas
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit dry or rarely fleshy, glabrous or hairy, of 2 parts (mericarps) or 1 mericarp sometimes aborted.
Distribution
Genus of perhaps 600 species, almost cosmopolitan but mostly present in temperate regions.
Note
G. simense Fresen. was said to occur in Somalia in Cuf. Enum.: 1026 (1965), but the record has not been verified and the species is omitted here.
[FSOM]

Common Names

unknown
acangay, bedstraw, cangay

Sources

  • EBC Common Names

    • Common Names from Kew's Economic Botany Collection https://www.kew.org/science/collections-and-resources/collections/economic-botany-collection

  • Flora Zambesiaca

    • Flora Zambesiaca
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Somalia

    • Flora of Somalia
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2026. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2026. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images