Rubiaceae
Galium

Galium thunbergianum Eckl. & Zeyh.

First published in Enum. Pl. Afric. Austral.: 369 (1837)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Cape Verde, Cameroon Sudan and S. Africa, Madagascar. It is a scrambling subshrub and grows primarily in the subtropical biome.

Descriptions

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

Morphology General Habit
Straggling, climbing or procumbent plant, 7–75 cm. tall; stems and foliage either glabrous or pilose with quite long spreading hairs but not prickly.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves and stipules in whorls of 4; blades elliptic to ovate, (0.3–)0.7–1.8 cm. long, (0.2–)0.3–1 cm. wide, acute or rounded and shortly mucronate at the apex, cuneate at the base, the margins not prickly.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescences very condensed or lax, 0.3–5.5 cm. long; pedicels 1–7 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx-tube 0.3–0.6 mm. in diameter, densely covered with spreading bristly hairs.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla white, yellow or greenish white to yellowish white; lobes 0.7–1.5 mm. long, 0.5–0.9 mm. wide; tube 0.09–0.3 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruits 1.2–1.5 mm. long, 1.3–2 mm. wide, the cocci densely covered with spreading hooked bristly hairs ± 1 mm. long.
[FTEA]

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

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

Morphology General Habit
Perennial with extensive rhizome.
Morphology Stem
Stems climbing, suberect or procumbent, (8)10–40(60) cm. long, glabrous or with short spreading white hairs.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves in whorls of 4, 3-nerved, (7)10–18(22) x (3)4–8(10) mm., ovate, elliptic or ± rhombic, ± acute or with a short hyaline point at apex, narrowed to base; glabrous or both surfaces and margins with short spreading hairs.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence broadly pyramidal to ± cylindrical, cymes ± many-flowered, ultimate branches with 1–2 minute bracts; pedicels 1–3(5) mm. long, slightly elongating after anthesis, glabrous or hairy, ± divaricate in fruit.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla (1)1.5–2.5(3) mm. in diam., rotate, often somewhat hairy outside, greenish, greenish-white to yellowish, lobes longer than wide, acute; stamens c. half as long as lobes; ovary c. 0.3–0.5 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit densely covered with white tuberculate hooked hairs; mericarps subglobose, each (0.8)1–1.5 mm. in diam.
[FZ]

Rubiaceae, F. N. Hepper & R. W. J. Keay. Flora of West Tropical Africa 2. 1963

Morphology General Habit
Scrambling, erect or ascending herb up to 3 ft. high
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers yellowish
Ecology
In rocky montane grassland.
[FWTA]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Flora Zambesiaca

    • Flora Zambesiaca
    • 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

  • Flora of West Tropical Africa

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

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/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