This is for informational purposes only. For medical advice or diagnosis, consult a professional.
▷ IDENTIFICATION🔍
Common Name: Cleavers
Botanical Name: (Galium aparine)
Family: Madder family (Rubiaceae)
Sticky, herbaceous annual for Zones 3 to 7
Plant growth may be aggressive and take over areas.
PRECAUTION: May interact with medications. Not appropriate for all, consider consulting a doctor first. See section “ADDITIONAL INFORMATION > Animal Toxicity and Medicine Interactions”.
❗Pregnant or breastfeeding: This plant may be harmful if used internally for pregnant, or breastfeeding mothers. Research or speak with a healthcare professional. 🚼
▷ OTHER NAMES & LOOKALIKES 🏷️
Other Names 🏷️
◦ Velcro Plant
◦ Clivers
Lookalikes 🔎
◦ False cleavers (Galium spurium): Similar in appearance to cleavers, but has yellow or yellow-green flowers and shorter flower lobes.
◦ Sweet-scented bedstraw (Galium triflorum): Has similar leaves, flowers, and sprawling growth to cleavers.
◦ Sweet woodruff (Galium odoratum): Has different shaped leaves, clustered flowers, and stem branches at leaf whorls.
▷ APPEARANCE 🪞
Plant Description🌿🗒️
Sticky, herbaceous plant with edible leaves with a spreading or climbing growth habit. Leaf surfaces and stems are covered in very tiny hooks that cause them to stick to surfaces, which help them climb over other vegetation to compete for sunlight. Stems are fragile, weakly connected to the roots, and the plant grows low to the ground in sprawling, dense tangles. The leaves are green, very narrow lanceolate or linear in shape, with the widest width being towards to rounded end that is spine-tipped, reaching 1″ to 3″ length and 1″ wide. Leaves have a single lengthwise vein, appearing in whorls of 6 to 8 on stems. Flowers are inconspicuous, tiny, white, with 4 petals, appearing in groups of 2 or 3 from leaf axils.
Dimensions, Root Depth, and Spacing 📏↔️
Height: 4″ to 48″
Width: 9′ 10″
Root Depth: Shallow roots are a minimum of 4″ deep. Ideal minimum container size 7 gallon or 8 gallons. Larger containers allow plants to grow taller and wider!
Spacing: 3′ to 6′ apart
Flower Season and Fruit or Seed 🌻🍎🫘
Flower: Inconspicuous, white flowers from Spring to Summer
Fruit and Seed: Fruit are grey-brown, sticky, 1.6 mm to 4 mm diameter. Seeds are 1 mm to 4 mm, grey to brown, covered in soft spines
▷ REPRODUCTION🌱
Sexuality: Hermaphrodite
Pollination: Bees, butterflies, and other beneficial pollinators. The fruits are covered in very tiny hooks that cause them to stick to surfaces such as animals, attire, machinery, which helps the seeds travel to propagate. Lightweight seeds may also be wind-dispersed.
Growth Rate: Fast
Propagation:
◦ Layering: Select a thick stem that is long enough to lay in nearby container of soil. Remove leaves from the middle section of the stem, this part of the stem will be planted carefully and directly into the soil while still attached to the plant. Water as is necessary to keep soil consistently moist, especially during the Summer. Roots should form on the buried stem in a month, and may thereafter be cut and replanted into individual pots.
◦ Cuttings: From non-flowering stems, plant cuttings ⅜” to ½” diameter (the wider the stem, the higher percentage of success) and 4″ to 6″ tall. Add cuttings to water and change the water every day for 1 month until roots form, later planting in soil in a container, or propagate by planting in soil during the Spring. Protect the new plant by placing it in partial sun or under a grow light until it has matured, avoiding direct sun.
Seed Germination: Cold stratification for 30 days may speed up germination. Soil pH 5.5 to 8.0 at preferably 55°F to 75°F, kept moist, however not wet or dry. Plant seed ½” deep, emerges 30 days to 60 days after being sown. Germination rate of 80% (depending on producer).
Indoor Planting: Grow plant for 1 year prior to transplanting outside 10 weeks after last frost date
Outdoor Planting: Plant seed 10 weeks prior to last frost date
▷ REQUIREMENTS❤️
Sunlight, Water, Fertilizer, and Pruning ☀️💧✂️
Sunlight: Prefers full sun, tolerates part sun and part shade
Note: Avoid aerial watering, which encourages fungal growth and disease.
Outdoor Watering: Tolerant of flooding. Water regularly during Summer (every 2 to 3 days) and less frequently in the Winter (every 1 to 3 weeks). Tiny pots and K-cup seed starters need water every day during Summer and every 2 days during Winter. Small pots require watering more often, especially if exposed to full sun, while large pots and shaded pots need less water.
Indoor Watering: Deep and infrequent, allowing for soil to dry on the top layer prior to more water
Drought Resistance: Intolerant of excessive heat
Fertilizer: At the start of the growing season, apply fertilizer every 4 weeks to 6 weeks. Scatter evenly at the base of plants, avoiding clumps of fertilizer and preventing contact with stalks and stems. Large clumps of fertilizer won’t evenly supplement nutrients into the entire soil surface after it mixes with water from rain or irrigation. Fertilizer clumps around the base of plants make cause the main stalk to rot or have contact burns, which could damage or kill the plant. Do not throw fertilizer over plant tops, as the clumps of fertilizer caught in between leaf nodes and on foliage may either burn or rot the foliage.
Pruning: Avoid pruning during Winter as it may kill the plant. This same rule applies for the Fall in northern climates. Remove withered flowers, dead leaves, and leggy stems to enhance plant’s appearance. This also promotes new stems to appear with more leaves and flowers.
Soil, Planting, and Environment 🌄🏞️🏜️
Soil: Moist to wet nutrient-rich loam, sand, or clay
pH: 5.4 to 8.0
Planting: When planting a potted plant, dig a hole that’s as deep as the pot and as wide as the root base. For plants with wide roots, dig a hole that is twice the width of the pot and gently space out the root system and then cover with soil to promote healthy growth. Burying tangled roots could cause health issues or stunted growth. The soil should be gently pressed in or watered in to fill the air pockets, preventing soil from collapsing in when watering or raining. Unplanted roots add to the stress of plants and could cause health problems or diseases. Cover every root with soil and smooth the soil’s surface.
Habitat: Native to the northern hemisphere, including North America, Eurasia, and most provinces of Canada and northern Mexico. It can be found in all US states except Hawaii. Found in coniferous forests, deciduous woodlands, floodplain forests, meadows, prairies, flood plains, cultivated crops, low shrubby vegetation, and arable fields.
Temperature Preference and Temperature Tolerance🌡️
Temperature: Prefers 50 °F to 75 °F
Heat Tolerance: Intolerant of drought; Plant will produce flowers early due to stress and whither early or burn in Summer with excess heat. Won’t thrive in hot climates.
Cold Tolerance: 14°F and lower may severely damage or kill the plant; After flowering, hard frost may kill the plant. Mulch to protect the root system during Winter. Keep dead leaves on the plant during Winter as a shield to protect the plant, then cut back in the Spring to promote new foliage growth. Mulch roots to retain water and to protect the root system from the cold during Winter.
Salt, Wind, and Pollution Tolerance 🧂💨 ☣️
Salt Tolerance: No tolerance
Wind Tolerance: Low tolerance
Pollution Tolerance: Low tolerance
▷ ADDITIONAL INFORMATION📚
Description 📝
Sticky, fast-growing, annual which is native to the northern hemisphere. Cleavers may grow rapidly and smother slow-growing crops, such as beets.
Attract and Repel Wildlife🐝🦋🐦🐌🪰🐇🦌
Deer and Rodent Resistant🦌🐇🐁
Attracts: Bees, butterflies, and other beneficial pollinators
Repels: Some insects
Diseases and Pests🐜🦠
Note: Proper care keeps plants resilient and healthy, preventing diseases and pests. This list details the potential threats, specific diseases and pests vary depending on environmental climate.
Diseases:
◦ Fusarium wilt: A common disease caused by a seedborne fungus that stunted growth, wilting, or brown vascular tissues. Infected plants and seeds should be destroyed, and that family of plants shouldn’t be planted in the same area for 2 years to 3 years to prevent reinfection.
◦ Powdery Mildew: Disease caused by a fungus due to overwatering or overcrowding, making the plant vulnerable to other pests.
Pests:
◦ Aphids: Small, soft-bodied sucking insects which pierce plant tissues and draw out the juices.
◦ Spittlebugs
Animal Toxicity and Medicine Interactions ☠️❤️🩹
Animal Toxicity: Safe for dogs, cats, and horses
Individuals may have a sensitivity or allergies to Cleavers, consult a healthcare professional first and proceed at own risk. Sensitive individuals may develop a rash. Allergy symptoms are dizziness, itchiness, stomach pain, hives, runny nose, sneezing, cough, watery eyes, throat swelling, and difficulty breathing.
WebMD Website – Clivers “Interactions”
Use and Harvest⚕️🌾
❗Never ingest essential oils, instead use organic fresh or dried herbs.
Use:
◦ Flowers and Leaves: Leaves and stems may be cooked as a vegetable, which softens the tiny hooks and makes the plant more palatable. Good for salads or soups, young plant tips may be harvested and are best for eating raw. Used internally as a juice, tea, or tincture. Externally applied in the form of herbal oil, poultice, salve, cream, or therapeutic tea soak.
◦ Roots: May be used to make a permanent red dye
◦ Essential Oil: Click Here for Precautions, Instructions, and Dilution Ratios
Benefits: Antimicrobial, antioxidant (protects cells), anti-inflammatory (reduces internal and external swelling), anticancer, antiulcerative (ulcers), soothing, mild astringent, diuretic (increases urination), relieves skin problems (dermatitis, eczema, psoriasis, acne, cuts, minor injuries, insect bites, stings, burns, bruises), glandular fever (mono), tonsillitis, liver health, cystitis, swollen glands (lymphadenopathy), edema (fluid retention), bladder conditions, and urinary tract infection
Dosing: 1 teaspoon each day for adults, may increase to 2 teaspoons or 3 teaspoons if the individual does not have an adverse reaction after the first week. Take for maximum of 10 days, then stop use for 1 month prior to continuing use.
Click Here for How To Harvest, Dry, and Properly Store Herbs and Seeds
Harvest: Never harvest more than 20% of a plant’s leaves or roots!
◦ Leaves and Flowers: Best harvested in the Spring, prior to the plant flowering. May be harvested when available, best used fresh. Dried herb may be used, does not retain the same amount of nutrient and healing properties.
◦ Roots: Dig the roots up, scrub away dirt, dehydrate, and store in an airtight container.
◦ Seeds: Harvest the spiky burrs once fully developed, from July to October. Follow harvesting techniques in the link above to extract and properly store the seeds.
Aroma, Flavor, and Culinary Combinations🧼🍴
Fresh plant is more potent; Dried flowers, leaves, and stems do not retain flavor and nutrients as efficiently.
Aroma: ADD THIS DATA
Flavor: Grassy, reminiscent of cucumber, with a stringy and bristly texture if uncooked
Culinary Combinations: Cleavers compliments herbs and spices (thyme, rosemary, nutmeg, cinnamon, mint, oregano, cilantro, parsley, sage, chamomile, goldenseal, lavender, elderberry, cardamom, coriander, tarragon, chives, lemongrass, and ginger), quinoa, whole wheat enriched pasta, wild rice, beans (sugar snap peas, green beans, chickpeas [garbanzos], black, pinto), legumes (lentils, mung beans), tofu, tempeh, mushrooms, nuts (roasted cashews, almonds, walnuts, pecans, and pine nuts), vegetables (arugula, cabbage, corn, broccoli, cauliflower, Winter squash [pumpkin, butternut squash, acorn squash], Summer squash [zucchini, straightneck, and crookneck], sweet potato, red potato, white potato, eggplant, zucchini, garlic, lemongrass, bell pepper, carrot, beet, asparagus, brussels sprouts, radish, tomato, and cucumber), and fruits (avocado, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, cranberries, apricot, peaches, mango, citrus [lemon and lime], and figs)
Click Here to explore a comprehensive list of vitamins, minerals, and nutrients with function explanations, deficiency or excess symptoms, and vegan food source rankings (high, medium, low)
History 📜
Native to a large region of Europe, Asia, and North Africa. It has been introduced into many temperate areas around the world, including North America, Central and South America, Australia, and New Zealand.
Lifespan⏳
1 year longevity for life expectancy
Vegan Botany 