6. Galium circaezans Michx. (forest bedstraw, licorice bedstraw)
G. circaezans var. hypomalacum Fernald
Pl. 547 g, h;
Map 2540
Plants
perennial. Stems 20–50 cm long, erect or ascending, sometimes from a spreading
base, unbranched or few- to several-branched from the base, glabrous or
moderately to densely pubescent on and between the angles with fine, straight,
soft, spreading to somewhat upward-curved hairs. Leaves 4 per node, spreading
in orientation. Leaf blades 5–42 mm long, 2–22 mm wide, elliptic to ovate or
lanceolate, angled to a bluntly (and sometimes broadly) or less commonly
sharply pointed tip, angled to somewhat rounded at the base, the undersurface
with impressed, linear glands (appearing as small streaks or lines), otherwise
glabrous or with short, fine to stiff, straight hairs along and often also
between the veins, the venation palmate with 3 veins (the midvein and 2 finer
lateral veins) visible, the margins with short, stiff, prickly hairs and flat.
Inflorescences terminal and sometimes also axillary from the upper leaves, not
pendant, positioned over the leaves, consisting of small panicles (1–4 cm long)
with mostly 1–3 branch points or reduced and appearing as unbranched spikes,
the branches very short to relatively long, mostly spreading. Flowers
relatively few to more numerous, sessile. Corollas 1.0–1.5 mm long, 4-lobed,
pale green. Fruits 2–3 mm long, 3.5–4.0 mm wide, the surface densely pubescent
with short (ca. 1 mm long), hooked hairs. 2n=22. May–July.
Scattered to
common nearly throughout the state (eastern U.S. west to Minnesota, Nebraska,
and texas; Canada). Mesic to dry upland forests, ledges of bluffs, margins of
sinkhole ponds, glades, upland prairies, savannas, banks of streams, and
occasionally bottomland forests; also pastures and roadsides.
In many species
of Galium that bear hooked hairs on the fruits, these hairs are
developed and easily seen on the ovaries of the flowers. However, in G.
circaezans, these hairs are hardly developed and not readily visible at
flowering, so they can easily be overlooked. They enlarge rapidly as the fruits
develop. Steyermark recognized two varieties of this species in Missouri, var. circaezans
and var. hypomalacum, and noted that most of the Missouri plants fall
into the latter group. These varieties were distinguished by patterns of
pubescence and leaf size, and Steyermark himself discussed the extensive
intergradation and difficulties in how to distinguish them, their lack of
geographic or ecological separation, and their lack of recognition by some
previous authors. They are not accepted in the present treatment.