SafePlants

Galium aparine: The Sticky Hitchhiker

Galium aparine, widely recognized as cleavers, is a common plant known for its remarkable seed dispersal strategy.

Considerations for Pets

• The fruit is an adhesive burr that clings to animal fur, potentially causing minor irritation.
• The plant produces sticky mats of foliage.

Considerations for Children

• Known as "Goose Grass or Sticky Weed," it has been used in children's games, thrown at one another.

Common and Scientific Names

• Scientific Name: Galium aparine
• Common Names: Cleavers, clivers, goosegrass, kisses, stickyweed, stickybud, sticky willy, sticklebacks, Sticky Jack, Sticky Bobs, Stick-a-back. Also referred to regionally as "Sticky Willy" in the west of Scotland and "Goose grass" in the Borders.

Distribution and Habitat

• Commonly found in hedgerows and field margins.
• Native to scree slopes and shingle areas.
• Widespread and locally common in coastal areas of NSW and Queensland.

Ecological Role

• A short-lived plant that can grow into sticky mats of foliage, potentially swamping cultivated plants.

Morphological Characteristics and Growth Habits

• Forms sticky mats of foliage.
• The fruit is an adhesive burr with hooks to attach to fur or clothing.

Seed Dispersal

• The most common methods of seed dispersal are wind, water, and animal vectors.
• The hooked seedheads aid in the plant's seed dispersal by attaching to animals.
• At maturity, seeds become sticky and may attach to hair or fur.

Quirky Facts

• Some people dry and roast sticky Willy seeds for use as a caffeine-free beverage.

Further Information

• Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank Partnership aims to save plant life worldwide.