Galium aparine L.
Cleavers
Cleavers is an annual, herbaceous plant known for its creeping, straggling stems that branch and grow along the ground. The stems can reach up to 1.2 meters tall and are angular or square-shaped. The leaves are simple, narrowly oblanceolate to linear, and arranged in whorls of six to eight. The plant has tiny, star-shaped, white to greenish flowers that emerge from early spring to summer. The fruits are burrs covered with hooked hairs that aid in seed dispersal by clinging to animal fur and human clothing.
Details
Gentianales
Rubiaceae
Galium
The chemical constituents of Galium aparine include iridoid glycosides such as asperulosidic acid and 10-deacetylasperulosidic acid, asperuloside, monotropein, aucubin, alkaloids like caffeine, flavonoids, coumarins, organic acids including citric acid and a red dye, phenolics such as phenolic acid, and anthraquinone derivatives like nordamnacanthal.
Cleavers is edible, with leaves and stems used as a leaf vegetable when gathered before the fruits harden. It has been traditionally used in folk medicine for treating skin ailments, light wounds, and burns through poultices and washes. The plant's barbed stems have been used to make a rough sieve for straining milk. Dried, matted foliage was once used to stuff mattresses due to its clinging hairs. The roots can produce a permanent red dye.
Early spring to summer
Up to 1.2 meters
White to greenish
Hedges, waste places, limestone scree, and as a garden weed. Prefers moist soils with above-average nitrogen and phosphorus content and a pH value between 5.5 and 8.0.
Info
Pannon Flora Ltd. was founded on December 13, 1999, by Gábor Janik, who retains 95% ownership. Janik holds an MSc in Horticulture from the University of Horticultural Sciences (1986) and an Advanced Professional English Certification from the College of International Trade (1990). The company specializes in bird feed production and export, primarily serving markets in Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, and the UK, alongside cultivating and distributing imported/exported horticultural seeds. It maintains exclusive partnerships with JOEUN Seed (South Korea) and Takii Europe (Japan), a leader in professional seed breeding and production. Pannon Flora collaborates with certification bodies such as NÉBIH (National Food Chain Safety Office), MERT Kontroll, and SGS Hungary to ensure compliance and quality. The company works with approximately 400 Hungarian growers, ranging from small-scale producers (under 5 hectares) to mid-sized farms and large-scale agricultural enterprises. This profile emphasizes agribusiness expertise, technical partnerships, and operational scalability tailored to international client needs.
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