Goosegrass
Stickywilly
Galium aparine
Photographed on the upper slopes of Vulture Peak, Maricopa Co., Arizona. March 2008.
LEAVES: Leaves are arranged into whorls around the stem, up to eight at
each node.
ANNUAL: In the Sonoran Desert this plant is likely to be found growing
as a smallish annual of springtime. In favorable years and habitats plants may
sprawl to a half-meter across as the stems lean onto adjacent plants or the ground.
FRUIT: Dry, paired, round seeds beset with numerous short hooked bristles.
UNARMED. The minute hooks are not long enough to penetrate the skin.
RANGE: Infrequent in the Sonoran Desert in Arizona and Mexico except in
shady spots on mountains in the spring. This plant ranges across North America
and Eurasia.
FLOWERS: White, four-lobed flowers are very small.