Galium aparine - Wikipedia
Galium aparine - USDA PLANTS Database
Cleavers - Foraging Texas
Galium aparine - Plants for a Future
| Duration: Annual | Origination: Disputed | Edibility: All Parts | Status in Yard: Abundant in Spring |
Cleavers, which I once called catchweed bedstraw, are fittingly named either way. They grow long, thin, and catchy. They are covered with Velcro-like hairs that cling to clothes and to each other. They appear in big bunches in a few places in the back yard. The herb garden by my back patio is overrun with them every year.
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The entire plant is edible. I have steamed them several times, and they taste okay. The steaming removes the prickliness of the stems. Like many other "foraged" plants, it is best to get them while they are still young, before the stalks get firmer and pricklier.
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