Galium nuttallii | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
(unranked): | Angiosperms |
(unranked): | Eudicots |
(unranked): | Asterids |
Order: | Gentianales |
Family: | Rubiaceae |
Genus: | Galium |
Species: | G. nuttallii |
Binomial name | |
Galium nuttallii A.Gray |
Galium nuttallii is a species of flowering plant in the coffee family known by the common names San Diego bedstraw and climbing bedstraw. It is native to the coast and coastal Peninsular and western Transverse Ranges of southern California and Baja California, where it is a member of chaparral and pine woodland plant communities.
This is a climbing perennial herb producing a woody base and sprawling with thin, tanging green to red branches up to 1.5 meters long. The stems have whorls of four tiny sharp-pointed leaves at intervals, each leaf under a centimeter long. The plant is dioecious, with male and female individuals bearing different flower types. Both flowers are reddish in color and the female flower ovary turns into a berry.