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jojofatso

any help appreciated

JOJOFATSO
11 years ago

sorry I couldn't get a better picture.. i'm workin with a low quality phone camera and I can't really get the whole plant in view without making things look blurry. the plant is only about 1-2 months old. the stick next to the plant is just a small piece of bamboo for support. I found this plant growing together with another plant after I transplanted into a bigger pot. there must have been a seed hiding in the soil I used to transplant and it grew into this little sucker.. so I cut it from the roots and re-rooted it into it's own pot and now it's growing like crazy. any help is appreciated.

Comments (13)

  • saltcedar
    11 years ago

    Gallium aparine?

  • kaliaman
    11 years ago

    yep its galium aparine, aka cleavers. a very common weed that drops seed readily. has use in herbal medicine as a diuretic.

  • JOJOFATSO
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    wow, thanks people. I thought I would never be able to find the name of the plant. thanks again.

  • fatamorgana2121
    11 years ago

    It didn't strike me as cleavers, G. aparine. What I see in the photo is something else. Given what the OP says about cutting and rerooting it, I really don't think that matches up with what I know of cleavers either.

    But a good test for the cleavers ID that the OP can try, does the plant stick to your clothes? Stick like velcro? If it doesn't, it is not cleavers. A funny common name of cleavers is "sticky willy." Yeah, because it sticks to you.

    I linked in a blog article I wrote last spring. There is a close-up picture of cleavers in it (click the image to see it larger). You can compare it to your plant.

    FataMorgana

    Here is a link that might be useful: Herb of the Week - Galium

  • JOJOFATSO
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    @FataMorgana

    yes, the plant has sticky leaves.. but you're right about the look.. it doesn't look like most Cleaver plants. the leaves are more rounded and smoother looking than most G. aparine plants.. but it's definitely in the same family. I did some research on the healing properties of G. aparine and I was really interested in trying this plant out (eating, making tea, etc..) but now i'm starting to wonder again.. hahahah

  • User
    11 years ago

    possibly another gallium, odorata? - sweet woodruff, alias Ladies bedstraw - a scented weed used for strewing on floors (long before we all had carpets and wooden floorboards.

  • flora_uk
    11 years ago

    Campanula -
    Galium odoratum = Sweet Woodruff.
    Galium verum = Ladies bedstraw

    (both good candidates for your woodland)

  • JOJOFATSO
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    it could be Galium odoratum. the leaves look a bit more rounded.. but perhaps I should give it some more time to grow. or perhaps its not getting enough light? right now I have it growing indoors, planning to set it outside when the weather calms down.

  • fatamorgana2121
    11 years ago

    Both G. odoratum and the bedstraw I'm familiar with (G. boreale) are smooth leaved and stemmed. These plants will not stick to you like G. aparine. If the plant is indeed clingy and will stick to your clothes, then cleavers would probably be a better bet.

    FataMorgana

  • flora_uk
    11 years ago

    I think this is G aparine but made lanky and pale by being grown indoors. it is totally hardy and needs to be outside. but then you have the problem of prolific spreading and becoming a nuisance.

  • JOJOFATSO
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    @flora_uk

    hahahahahah, I think you're right. well... I hear spring is coming early this year.. so it's going outside as soon as possible. thanks for all the help everybody.

  • flora_uk
    11 years ago

    JOJOFATSO - cleavers is a very early riser here in spring and starts showing shoots even before Christmas. As kids we called it Goosegrass but round here people call it Sticky Willy. I like it in the wild but in my garden I treat it as a contribution to the compost heap.

  • JOJOFATSO
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    @ flora_uk

    thank you for your help.. and now I see what you mean. I put the plant outside near some other wild plants and to my surprise there was already some cleavers growing right where I decided to put it. hahah! reunited with the family. they are much smaller but definitely cleavers. thanks again for the help.

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