Rubiaceae
When your pet comes home covered in small, prickly seeds, stalks and leaves from "Cleavers" or "Sticky Willy", the name children give to the plant, you set to work with a brush and comb for an hour to keep the mess off the furniture. "Thank heavens for coffee" you think, pouring yourself a hot cup of cheer...coffee is Sticky Willy's more useful cousin.
Epsom & Ewell Flower Finder
Rubiaceae: Coffee, Madder & Bedstraw Family
Our bedstraws are long and straggly; some are sweet smelling. You could miss them in your own garden when they first appear. When a patch grows, a pretty "cloud" effect of flowering is noticed.
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Gallium album
Hedge Bedstraw, False Babies Breath
Square, downy stems and sprays of white flowers. Height up to 1 metre.
About
Prefers a little shade so usually sprawling from the base of hedges. Found all over Epsom & Ewell as it takes advantage of our chalky soil.
The tiny flowers are attractive to a range of beneficial insects, including the Ladybird and her voracious, greenfly devouring children, who will clean your roses free of charge. Leave their Mum her bedstraw!
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Gallium aparine
Cleavers, Sticky Willy
Hairy, with hooked bristles. Tiny white flowers. Height up to 3 metres.
About
A huge joke when you are a child as it sticks to clothing and pets. Needs careful control in the garden as it spreads quickly.
Larvae of the Barred Straw moth and Hummingbird Hawk Moth feed on the leaves. Ladybirds hunt for aphids that infest the plant.
HOMEMore information
SURREY'S WILDFLOWERING PROJECT is a community-led initiative, aiming to build a partnership that enables wildflowering in the county as well as promoting and celebrating the boroughs/districts diverse environments. Do take the time to find out more about the project and if you can get involved, even in a small way, you will make a difference.
THE SCC BLUE CAMPAIGN© The Epsom & Ewell Flower Finder. I'm out and about but you can get in touch via Cuddington Online Facebook 