Galium aparine Seeds | Clivers Root
LATIN NAME: Galium aparine
COMMON NAME: Cleavers
Plant Profile
Among the ornamental and useful plants raised from seed, Cleavers (Galium aparine) stands out as a fine, vigorous, easy annual. Cleavers is plant that grabs your sleeve as you walk the hedgerow. Slender, scrambling, square-stemmed plant climbs through bushes by fine, hooked bristles on its stems and leaves, and whorls of narrow leaves give it a fine, neat, whorled look. Tiny, white, star-like flowers open in small clusters through spring, and round, bristly fruits follow, clinging to passing coats and fur. Together these qualities explain its long-standing appeal to gardeners.
Science & Biotechnology
Cleavers is the velcro weed every child knows, and the herbalist’s traditional ‘lymphatic’ — a folk term for gentle support of fluid clearance and spring tonics. Its chemistry includes iridoid glycosides such as asperuloside, coumarins and flavonoids, with mild diuretic activity documented in the herbal literature; the roasted seeds even make a passable coffee substitute, as befits a relative of Coffea. Clinical evidence is essentially absent, so it remains a gentle folk herb rather than a modern medicine.
Research touching on Galium aparine ranges from the botany of the Galium group to practical horticulture, including seed handling, propagation and the selection of superior forms. Cleavers has carved a quiet but solid place in plant science, and plant has been studied for fine, hooked bristles that make it cling so well. The upshot for anyone sowing it is reassurance — cultivated stock of this plant has a long, well-documented track record.
Uses & Benefits
Gardeners value Cleavers for its ornamental character, and the plant also fits naturally into herb, vegetable and cutting gardens. Cleavers earns its keep in hedgerow and garden both. Tiny, white flowers feed small flies and beetles through spring, and bristly, clinging fruits are one of fine, curious examples of hitchhiking seeds. Young, tender stems and leaves have a long record of use in old ways of region, and plant has been written up in botanical papers for hooked bristles and clinging fruits. A plant that has settled in will get along with only routine care.
Cleavers is a beloved spring tonic of Western herbalism, used for lymphatic and urinary support, and its relative sweet woodruff flavors May wine with coumarin sweetness.
Growing from Seed
Raising Cleavers from seed is straightforward. Sow the seed evenly over the surface and cover lightly, using a loose, well-drained seed compost, and keep it just moist in bright light until the seedlings are well up. Once the seedlings have made true leaves, pot them on individually and plant out when they are sturdy and conditions are right.
Our Take
Cleavers repays a little patience at sowing time with plenty of garden presence later.
Related Reading
Gardeners who grow Cleavers often pair it with these related subjects: