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Galium is a large genus of annual and perennial herbaceous plants in the family Rubiaceae, occurring in the temperate zones of both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Some species are informally known as bedstraw.<ref>Galium. USDA PLANTS.</ref>
Over 600 species of Galium are described,<ref>Galium. Flora of China.</ref> with estimates of 629<ref name=WCSP>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> to 650<ref>Galium. The Jepson eFlora 2013.</ref> as of 2013. The field madder, Sherardia arvensis, is a close relative and may be confused with a tiny bedstraw. Asperula is also a closely related genus; some species of Galium (such as woodruff, G. odoratum) are occasionally placed therein.
Genetic variabilityEdit
The phenotypic plasticity and genetic variability of this species allows it to be constantly shifting to best fit its environment, adjusting lifecycles, seed germination, productivity, growth form, freezing tolerance, etc.<ref>Taylor, K. (1999), Galium aparine L.. Journal of Ecology, 87: 713-730. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2745.1999.00381.x</ref> Herbicides at the recommended amount are not effective enough to decrease catchweed bedstraw biomass or population, twice the amount is needed.<ref>Mennan, H., Streibig, J. C., Ngouajio, M., & Cankaya, S. (2011). Response of two catchweed bedstraw (Galium aparine) populations to post-emergence herbicides in winter wheat. International Journal of Pest Management, 57(4), 347–356. https://doi.org/10.1080/09670874.2011.622085</ref>
As invasive speciesEdit
Cattle and other livestock do not often feed on this plant, making it thrive and dominating over other species. G. mollugo in particular, is a thriving invasive species, since it can dominate in areas where other alien species would not be able to, growing very fast in best conditions.<ref>The biology of Canadian weeds. 121. Galium mollugo L. D. Mersereau and A. DiTommaso Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA 14853, 2002</ref>
See alsoEdit
ReferencesEdit
External linksEdit
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- World Checklist of Rubiaceae
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