Scientific Family
Rubiaceae
Synonyms
Galium acutissimum
Plant type
Forbs and Subshrubs
Origin
Native
Lifecycle
Perennial
Height
To 3 feet
Riparian
No
Subshrub; bark shreddy, pale gray; stems with stiff hairs, intricately branched, woody; leaves with pointed tips and margins rolled under.
Bushy, woody above base; stiff hairs; leaves tipped with a sharp point, margins rolled under, veins obscure except prominent midrib on underside, whorls of 4; female flowers on branch ends, greenish-yellow; male in branched clusters, fruit not fleshy.
Habitat
Found on dry, rocky desert slopes, along arroyos, rock crevices in canyons, and along sandy washes or talus slopes.
Plant Community
Pinyon Juniper Woodlands
Interior Chaparral
Grasslands
Desert Scrub
Low elevation
0
High elevation
5000
Flower Characteristics
Dense to diffuse, many-flowered, elongated clusters, stems straight, petals greenish-yellow to white, petal tips blunt or a little elongated, petals somewhat round, sparsely hairy; female flowers on ends of leafy branches; male in branched clusters.
Flower color
White to greenish-yellow
Flower shape
Regular
Tubular
No
First bloom month
March
Last bloom month
May
Flower clusters
Elongated
Leaf and Stem Characteristics
Stems densely hairy; leaves in whorls, 4 per node, lance-like to needle-like, 1/2 inch long, rigid, tips pointed, somewhat rough to the touch, minutely hairy, prominent white midvein.
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf color
Pale grayish-green
Leaf shape
Narrow
Leaf margin
Smooth
Leaves clasp
No
Leaf hairs
Leaves & stems
Spines
No
Fruit and Seed Characteristics
Twin fruit, densely covered with white silky straight hairs, <1/4 inch long.
Fruit type
Other