Transcript Plant Class Sp 2010/Rubiaceae Family Shawn H received 23 March

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Herbs, shrubs, woody vines or trees
Leaves opposite or whorled, simple, stipulate; stipules
sometimes indistinguishable from leaves in plants with
apparently whorled leaves
Plants synoecious (rarely dioecious)
Flowers perfect, regular (rarely irregular)
Sepals 4 or 5, connate or distinct (sometimes apparently
absent by reduction)
Petals 4 or 5 (8-10), connate
Stamens 4 or 5, distinct; filaments adnate to corolla
Carpels 2 (1-many), connate; ovary inferior (very rarely
suprior) with 2 (3-many) locules and 1-many axile ovules
per locule (rarely with 1 locule and many parietal ovules);
style 1, undivided
Fruit a berry, drupe, capsule, or schizocarp
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Also known as: Cleavers, Catchweed Bedstraw,
Goose-grass
Family: Rubiaceae (Madder)
Life cycle: annual
Origin: native
Habitat: shade to part sun; moist woods,
thickets
Bloom season: spring to early summer
Plant height: 4 to 40 inches
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Flower: Flowers
are in groups of 2
to 5 at the end of a
stem that arises
from a leaf axil.
Individual flowers
have 4 pointed
white petals with a
greenish center,
and are about 1/16
inch across.
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Leaves and stem: Leaves are
whorled in groups of 6 to 8.
Individual leaves are narrow,
¾ to 3½ inches long and less
than ½ inch wide, broadest
towards the tip. The leaf tip is
sharply pointed and it may
look like a spine. The stem is
square. The leaves and stem
are covered with hooked hairs
(see the flower photo above for
a better close-up) that latch
onto anything that brushes
against them. The stem is weak
so the plant often sprawls
across the ground, or climbs
up other plants.
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Fruit: Fruit is a tiny ball-like
capsule, containing a single
seed. The capsules are also
covered with tiny barbs and
stick to anything that passes
by.
Notes: Beware of walking
through the woods when
Sticky-willy goes to seed. The
little balls will stick to your
clothing and are really hard to
remove. A similar species is
Rough Bedstraw (G.
asprellum), which is much
more heavily branched than
Sticky-willy, and has smooth
fruit.
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Family: Rubiaceae (Madder)
Life cycle: perennial
Origin: native
Habitat: sun to part shade; open woods, fields,
prairies
Bloom season: late spring to early summer
Plant height: 1 to 3 feet
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Flower: Flowers are in
many small dense
round clusters 1 to 3
inches across
branching off the top of
the plant and from
stems arising from the
leaf axils in the upper
part of the plant.
Individual flowers are
1/8 to ¼ inch across
with 4 white petals
pointed at the tip and 4
creamy-tipped
stamens.
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Leaves and stem:
Leaves are whorled in
groups of 4. Each leaf
is ¾ to 2 inches long
and about ¼ inch
wide, toothless, with a
rounded base,
gradually tapering to a
blunt point at the tip,
and no leaf stem.
There are 3 distinct
parallel veins, and fine
hairs along the leaf
edges. The main stem
is smooth and square.
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Notes: There are several
species of bedstraw
growing in Minnesota, all
with tiny white flowers
(most with 4 petals) and
whorled leaves. One of the
first clues in distinguishing
them are the number of
leaves in a whorl. Northern
Bedstraw is most easily
identified by the whorls of
4 narrow leaves and its
smooth stem. Many other
bestraws have sticky stems.
Northern Bedstraw tends to
grow in clumps or colonies.
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Family: Rubiaceae (Madder)
Life cycle: perennial
Origin: native
Habitat: sun to part shade; dry, rocky soil,
prairies, open woods
Bloom season: late spring, summer
Plant height: 3 to 10 inches
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Flower: 1 to 3 flowers
are clustered at the end
of branching stems in
the upper part of the
plant. Individual flowers
are about ¼ inch across,
pale blue to white,
tubular with 4 sharply
pointed lobes and 4
stamens with creamy
white to yellow tips. The
inside of the tube is
hairy. The bracts at the
base of the tube are
narrowly triangular and
about 1/8 inch long.
Leaves and stem:
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Leaves and stem: Leaves
are narrow, to 1¼ inches
long and ¼ inch wide,
toothless and hairless,
with a pointed tip and
no leaf stem. Attachment
is opposite and there is a
small whitish triangular
appendage (stipule) on
opposite sides the leaf
node. The main stem is
smooth and 4 sided,
with rounded corners
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Vascular Plant Taxonomy Fifth Edition Dirk R.
Walters, David J. Keil, and Zack E. Murrell.
http://www.minnesotawildflowers