Galium bifolium
Encyclopedia
Galium bifolium is a species of flowering plant in the coffee family
known by the common names twinleaf bedstraw and low mountain bedstraw. It is native to western North America from British Columbia
to California
to Colorado
, where it grows in mountain forests and high-elevation plateaus. This is an annual herb standing erect to a maximum height of about 15 centimeters. Leaves grow in whorls of four divided into two pairs. The foliage is hairless and sometimes slightly fleshy. The solitary flowers have three white tepal
s and the fruit is a round nutlet covered in shiny white hairs.
Rubiaceae
The Rubiaceae is a family of flowering plants, variously called the coffee family, madder family, or bedstraw family. The group contains many commonly known plants, including the economically important coffee , quinine , and gambier , and the horticulturally valuable madder , west indian jasmine ,...
known by the common names twinleaf bedstraw and low mountain bedstraw. It is native to western North America from British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
to Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, where it grows in mountain forests and high-elevation plateaus. This is an annual herb standing erect to a maximum height of about 15 centimeters. Leaves grow in whorls of four divided into two pairs. The foliage is hairless and sometimes slightly fleshy. The solitary flowers have three white tepal
Tepal
Tepals are elements of the perianth, or outer part of a flower, which include the petals or sepals. The term tepal is more often applied specifically when all segments of the perianth are of similar shape and color, or undifferentiated, which is called perigone...
s and the fruit is a round nutlet covered in shiny white hairs.