States
North CarolinaTennesseeGeorgiaSouth CarolinaKentuckyAlabamaFloridaVirginia
Menu

Cleavers

Galium aparine

Found in meadows, thickets, disturbed areas, forests. FloraQuest, phone app (app page) What its natural habitat tells you

52
Strong

Native to Alabama. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 100%

Height
About 10.8 inches
Light
Dappled sunlight, Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture
Usually moist
Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Life cycle
Annual
Leaves
Deciduous
Bloom
April to July
Fruiting season
Spring

Not yet recorded · Spread

Recorded in 62 Alabama counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement.

1 of 2

Forest edges and thickets

Wooded scene looking out over partially open fields
Named place / source context. Shown: Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, Georgia and Tennessee; which part is not recorded, a neighboring state.Wooded scene looking out over partially open fields, Richard Schlecht, undated. Public domain. Source record.

Forests and woodlands

Trail on Little Kennesaw Mountain.
Named place / source context. Shown: Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, Georgia, a neighboring state.Trail on Little Kennesaw Mountain., Unidentified in HFC record, undated. Public domain. Source record.

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Alabama. Shared habitat, not food. 85 animals.

All wildlife of Alabama

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

9CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including AL

Genus host records with ranges including AL · Galium

  • Apantesis phylliraPhyllira Tiger Moth
  • Costaconvexa centrostrigariaBent-Lined Carpet
  • Hyles lineataWhite-Lined Sphinx
  • Lobocleta ossulariaDrab Brown Wave
  • Nathalis ioleDainty Sulphur, Dwarf Yellow
  • Orthonama obstipataThe Gem
  • Pleuroprucha insulsariaCommon Tan Wave
  • Scopula limboundataLarge Lace-Border
  • Xylophanes tersaTersa Sphinx
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
3BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Galium

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
8BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Galium

  • Catharus guttatusHermit Thrush
  • Columbina passerinaCommon Ground Dove
  • Coturnicops noveboracensisYellow Rail
  • Dendragapus obscurusDusky Grouse
  • Falcipennis canadensisSpruce Grouse
  • Fulica americanaAmerican Coot
  • Meleagris gallopavoWild Turkey
  • Zenaida macrouraMourning Dove
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Rubiaceae
Soil pH
Neutral
Flower color
White
Growth rate
Rapid
Growth habit
Single crown
Foliage color
Green
Fruit begins
Spring
Fruit ends
Spring

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope
  • Bloom · “April to July” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs) · Carolinas and Georgia
  • Flower color · “White” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs)
  • Foliage color · “Green” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Fruit begins · “Spring” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Fruit ends · “Spring” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Growth habit · “Single crown” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Growth rate · “Rapid” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Height · “About 10.8 inches” · USDA PLANTS (ranked first; Minnesota Wildflowers differs) · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Leaf retention · “Deciduous” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Life cycle · “Annual” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
  • Light · “Dappled sunlight (shade through upper canopy all day); Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day); Partial shade (direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
  • Soil · “Moist; Occasionally wet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
  • Soil pH · “Neutral” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Also known as

Bedstraw; Stickyweed; Stickywilly

Conservation status

Alabama rankSNR
Global rankG5
AL statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

Will it fit your yard?

Check this plant against your county, sun and soil moisture. Conditions are checked in your browser.

Choose a county to begin.

How to check your spot

Sources