Descriptive Flora 



199 



Leaf blades y 2 to 2 inches long, linear to oblong-lanceolate, sessile, 

 entire, many of them sickle-shaped. Flowers small, white, in 

 crowded clusters at intervals along the branches. Sepals 4 or 5. 

 Corolla 4-lobed, white. Stamens 4. March to June. Commonly 

 spreading over poor, packed soil where vegetation is fairly scarce. 

 Abundant in the sandy regions to the south and east of San 

 Antonio. 



Galium apwrine L. Cleavers. Bedstraw. 



Weak and square-stemmed, often vine-like plants with down- 

 ward pointing barbs along the angles of the stems, and simple 

 leaves that are 1 to 3 inches long and in whorls of 7 at intervals 

 along the stem. Flowers small, greenish-white, 4-parted, in 

 clusters of 1 to 3, on slender bristly stalks that come out of the 

 axils of the leaves. Petals 4, minute. Stamens 4, minute. Fruit 

 small, usually 2-lobed, bristly. Plants often form matted beds 

 of prickly green foliage. Blossoms all summer. In low, shaded 

 grounds. This plant is commonly used for bedding cattle in 

 Bethlehem. It is supposed that this plant was in the manger in 

 which Christ was borne. 



Galium virgatum Nutt. Cleavers Bedstraw. 



Similar to the above species but leaves are in whorls of 4, 

 branches more erect and not as long, flowers solitary on short, 

 leafy-bracted stalks in the axils of the leaves. Distance between 

 whorls of leaves shorter. Leaves linear or linear oblong, less 

 than y% long, and flowers on recurved, leafy-bracted, axillary 

 pedicels shorter than the leaves. March to June. River bottoms 

 and banks of streams. 



Galium texanum (Torr. & Gray) Wiegand. 



Similar to Galium virgatum but leaf-blades broadly oval 

 (not linear-oblong), flowers mostly terminal on slender naked 

 stalks. Genus name has its origin in the Gr. gala, milk, which 

 some species are supposed to curdle. 



