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Northern Bed Straw

Galium boreale

57
Strong

Native to West 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?

Rare or protected plant. Specialist conservation planting; excluded from routine garden suggestions. Plant caution source

Hidden from default planting suggestions. Wildlife value and native status remain unchanged.

At a glance

Life cycle
Perennial
Bloom
June to July

Not yet recorded · Leaves

Recorded in 3 West Virginia counties.

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in West Virginia. Shared habitat, not food. 55 animals.

Widespread birds also seen here (46)

Found in many habitats here, so not listed above.

All wildlife of West Virginia

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

11CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including WV

Genus host records with ranges including WV · 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 11
  • Xanthorhoe ferrugataRed Twin-Spot, Twin-Spot Carpet
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
4BirdsRecorded eating Galium in West Virginia

Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Birds whose range includes West Virginia, most records first.

Avian Diet Database (Hurlbert Lab)

Direct food only. 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

Birds that eat Galium 4

Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Avian Diet Database (Hurlbert Lab), CC0 1.0.

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Rubiaceae
Hardiness
Zones 4–8
Flower color
White

What its natural habitat tells you

Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Northern Bedstraw

Conservation status

West Virginia rankS2
Global rankNot available
WV 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