White Bedstraw Care

Galium album, the white bedstraw or hedge bedstraw, is a herbaceous annual plant of the family Rubiaceae.

The small flower heads are up to a centimeter wide (0.4 inches) but typically 2-3mm in diameter and have rounded center filled with many disc florets usually in a shade of bright yellow. There are typically five white ray florets widely spaced around the center, each an oval shape typically with three crenate teeth at the tip. Both the disk and ray florets are fertile producing an achene with a large pappus.

Galinsoga quadriradiata and its cousin Galinsoga parviflora are both edible and can be used as a pot herb or in salads although outside of their native range, they have not been widely adopted as a culinary item other than in China. G. parviflora is preferred as a salad green due to its non-hairy leaves. Care must be taken to not confuse them with the distantly related, and visually similar, Tridax procumbens, which is poisonous.

This plant is useful.

This plant might be poisonous

How to get rid of: Pull out weeds slowly and carefully to prevent soil disruption. Disturbing the soil may provide a place for weeds to germinate and grow. Always wear your gloves, long-sleeved shirt, and pants when hand pulling as some plants can cause irritation to the skin when crushed or broken.