Galium Rubiaceae 875 



Leaves narrowly lanceolate, mostly less than 5 mm wide; corolla white. 



Fruit covered with long, straight hairs 4. G. boreale var. typicum. 



Fruit covered with short, appressed or incurved hairs 



4a. G. boreale var. intermedium. 



Fruit glabrous or glabrate 4b. G. boreale var. hyssopifolium. 



Leaves 1-nerved. 



Blades cuspidate at the apex. * 



Leaves about 8 in a whorl, narrowly oblanceolate; flowering mostly before the 



middle of June; annuals 5. G. Aparine. 



Leaves 6 in a whorl, elliptic-lanceolate; flowering after the middle of June; 



perennials 6. G. triflorum. 



Blades rounded at the apex 7. G. obtusum. 



Fruit glabrous. 



Flowers yellow; introduced species (See excluded species no. 586, p. 1092) . .G. verum. 



Flowers purple. (See excluded species no. 583, p. 1091) G. latifolium. 



Flowers white. 



Flowers in terminal panicles; plants erect 4b. G. boreale var. hyssopifolium. 



Flowers solitary, in 2's or 3's; plants usually weak, reclining or ascending on other 

 plants, or diffuse. 

 Leaves cuspidate or sharply acute at the apex. 



Stems glabrous; leaves in whorls of 8 on the stems and in whorls of 6 on 



the branches; perennial. (See excluded species no. 584, p. 1091) 



G. Mollugo. 



Stems more or less scabrous on the angles. 

 Margins of leaves upwardly roughened. 



Annual; leaves mostly ascending; flowers about 1 mm wide; fruit about 



1 mm wide; introduced species 8. G. parisiense. 



Perennial; stems weak, in clusters or dense mats, less than 5 dm high; 

 leaves mostly spreading, linear, mostly less than 2 mm wide; flowers 

 about 2 mm wide; fruit about 2 mm wide; native species of rich 



woodland 9. G. concinnum. 



Margins of leaves retrorsely hispid; stems long, climbing on other plants 

 sometimes to a height of 1.5 m; leaves oval or slightly oblanceolate, 



usually 2.5-5 mm wide; plants of a wet habitat 10. G. asprellum. 



Leaves blunt at the apex. 



Corolla 4-lobed, the lobes acute, 1 mm or more long; peduncles and pedicels 

 glabrous. 

 Leaves ascending or spreading, 1.5-2.5 cm long; stem strictly glabrous; 

 fruit 2-celled, mostly 2.5-3.5 mm wide (one cell often not developing). 



7. G. obtusum. 



Leaves usually all strongly reflex ed, mostly less than 11 mm long, rarely 

 longer; fruit 2-celled, usually about 1.5 mm wide; pedicels short. 



11. G. labradoricum. 



Corolla 3-lobed, rarely 4-lobed, the lobes obtuse, usually 0.5-1 mm long; fruit 

 2-celled, 1.5-2.75 mm wide. 

 Flowers mostly in 2's and 3's; pedicels usually straight, glabrous, mostly 



2-5 (6) mm long 12. G. tinctorium. 



Flowers solitary; mature pedicels generally arcuate, scabrous, usually 5-10 

 mm long 13. G. trifidum. 



1. Galium circaezans Michx. var. typicum Fern. Wild Licorice. Map 

 1915. Fernald (Rhodora 39: 449-450. 1937) has divided this species into a 

 northern and southern form. He designates the southern form as the 

 typical form of the species. Out of my 73 Indiana specimens I am re- 

 ferring all but three to the variety. 



R. I., Conn., N. Y., s. Mich., southw. to Fla. and Tex. 



