SafePlants

*Galium aparine* - An Overview

*Galium aparine*, commonly known as cleavers, is a fascinating plant with a variety of intriguing characteristics.

Common Names

• Cleavers
• Clivers
• Goosegrass
• Kisses
• Stickyweed
• Stickybud
• Sticky Willy
• Sticklebacks
• Sticky Jack
• Sticky Bobs

Considerations for Pets

• The plant produces adhesive burrs that cling to animal fur, aiding in seed dispersal. These "burrs" or seed pods may be an annoyance to pets.
• The seeds can become sticky at maturity and attach to hair or fur.

Considerations for Children

• The plant has many common names, some of which may be familiar to children, such as "Sticky Willy."
• It is also referred to as Goose Grass or Sticky Weed, which children throw at one another in a game.
• Children sometimes make "earrings" with flowers from other plants (Plumbago) by sticking them to themselves.

Distribution and Habitat

• *Galium aparine* is commonly found in hedgerows and field margins.
• It is native to scree slopes and shingle.
• It is widespread and locally common in coastal areas of NSW and Queensland.

Morphological Characteristics and Growth Habits

• It is a short-lived plant that grows sticky mats of foliage, which can swamp cultivated plants.
• It produces small white flowers in summer followed by a round sticky seed pod.
• The plant has reddish, low-growing stems that fan out from the tap root, forming a dense mat.

Ecological Role

• The plant is considered a weed of crops.

Seed Dispersal

• The fruit is an adhesive burr that clings to animals passing by to spread the seed.
• The most common methods of seed dispersal are wind and water.
• The hooked seedheads aid in the plant’s seed dispersal, attaching to animals.

Quirky Facts

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

Further Information

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