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Northern Bed Straw

Galium boreale

58
Strong

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

Profile 88%

Height
1–2 feet
Spread
1–1.5 feet
Light
Part shade
Soil moisture
Average to moist

Space about 1 ft apart from its recorded spread, about 100 per 100 sq ft. Enter your bed size for a count

Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Life cycle
Perennial
Bloom
June to July

Not yet recorded · Leaves

Recorded in 12 Virginia counties.

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Virginia. Shared habitat, not food. 101 animals.

All wildlife of Virginia

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

12CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA

Genus host records with ranges including VA · Galium

  • Apantesis phylliraPhyllira Tiger Moth
  • Apantesis virgoVirgin Tiger Moth
  • Costaconvexa centrostrigariaBent-Lined Carpet
  • Epirrhoe alternataWhite-Banded Toothed Carpet, Striped Carpet
  • Hyles lineataWhite-Lined Sphinx
  • Lobocleta ossulariaDrab Brown Wave
  • Orthonama obstipataThe Gem
  • Pleuroprucha insulsariaCommon Tan Wave
  • Scopula limboundataLarge Lace-Border
  • Stenoporpia polygrammariaFaded Grey
Show all 12
  • Xanthorhoe ferrugataRed Twin-Spot, Twin-Spot Carpet
  • 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
Hardiness
Zones 4–8
Flower color
White

What its natural habitat tells you

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

Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Northern Bedstraw

Conservation status

Virginia rankS3
Global rankNot available
VA statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source

In your garden

Will it fit your yard?

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How to check your spot

Growing cautions

For planning only; these do not change the score or Fit.

Sources