Happy Mystery Monday! Can you guess what is pictured in photo #1?
The answer to last week’s mystery is catchweed, Galium aparine, pictured in photo #2.
The catchweed, Galium aparine, also known as cleavers, bedstraw, or the Velcro plant, is a sprawling wildflower in the madder family, Rubiaceae. Found in Maryland forests, moist or rocky woodlands, thickets, and other shaded habitats, it grows low across the ground or scrambles over nearby plants, reaching about 1–2′ in height. From May–July, tiny flowers appear along its branching stems.
Nearly the entire plant is covered with microscopic hooked hairs that cling readily to clothing, fur, skin, and surrounding vegetation. Its barbed fruits are especially effective hitchhikers, helping the plant spread wherever animals or people carry them. This gripping habit inspired both the nickname “Velcro plant” and the species name aparine, which comes from a Greek word meaning “to seize.” The same bristly stems were once used to stuff mattresses because they held together without matting.
Catchweed is edible and has a mild flavor sometimes compared to cucumber or celery, but its hooked hairs make the raw plant unpleasant and potentially irritating to the mouth and throat, so it must be cooked before eating. Its tiny fruits can also be dried and roasted to make a coffee-like drink, fitting for a member of the Rubiaceae, or coffee family, one of the largest plant families on Earth.
Mystery Monday is sponsored by the Spy Newspapers and Adkins Arboretum.
