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Plant Profile

Island Bedstraw (Galium buxifolium)

Photo Credit: Andrea Adams, USFWS

Global Rank: G2 - Imperiled
Legal Status: Federally Endangered
Family: Rubiaceae
State: CA
Nature Serve ID: 152560
Lifeform: Subshrub
Date Inducted in National Collection:

Description:

Galium buxifolium is a small, stout, woody shrub in the madder (Rubiaceae) family. The plant grows to 1.2 meters (4 feet) in height, and has swollen nodes bearing numerous leafy branches. The leaves occur in whorls and are larger than those of most other Galium taxa, and have conspicuous lateral veins with stout hairs on the lower surface.

Where is Island Bedstraw (Galium buxifolium) located in the wild?

Habitat:

Coastal dune, coastal bluff, grasslands, coastal sage scrub, chaparral, oak and ironwood woodlands, riparian woodlands, and conifer forest.

Distribution:

G buxifolium is restricted to Santa Cruz and San Miguel Islands off the coast of southern California, where it occurs on north-facing sea cliffs in coastal sage scrub and island pine forest.

States & Provinces:

Island Bedstraw can be found in California

Which CPC Partners conserve Island Bedstraw (Galium buxifolium)?

Santa Barbara Botanic Garden

Not Sponsored

Conservation Actions

Assigned 06/13/17

CPC's Plant Sponsorship Program provides long term stewardship of rare plants in our National Collection. We are so grateful for all our donors who have made the Plant Sponsorship Program so successful. We are in the process of acknowledging all our wonderful plant sponsorship donors on our website. This is a work in progress and will be updated regularly.

Conservation Actions

Center for Plant Conservation

10/19/2021

K. McEachern et. al published a 2019 report detailing the occurrences, life-history, and demography of Galium buxifolium on Santa Cruz island. They also collected seed for seed-banking efforts and germination trials. They found approximately a 40% germination rate from freshly imbibed seeds.

Center for Plant Conservation

10/19/2021

Center for Plant Conservation

10/19/2021

Center for Plant Conservation

10/19/2021

Ken Owen presented a report at the Proceeds of the California Invasive Plant Council Symposium 2010, "Herbicide treatment of invasive Vinca major growing with endangered Galium buxifolium, an island endemic" describing efforts to combat an invasive Vinca without harming Galium buxifoium.

09/01/2020

Based on an September 2020 extract of the California Plant Rescue Database, Santa Barbara Botanic Garden holds 5 accessions of Galium buxifolium in orthodox seed collection. There are as many as 100 seeds of this species in their collection - although some may have been used for curation testing or sent to back up.

09/01/2020

Based on an September 2020 extract of the California Plant Rescue Database, National Laboratory for Genetic Resource Preservation (USDA-ARS) holds 1 accessions of Galium buxifolium in orthodox seed collection. There are as many as 50 seeds of this species in their collection - although some may have been used for curation testing or sent to back up.

08/05/2020

Based on an August 2020 extract of the California Plant Rescue Database, Santa Barbara Botanic Garden has collected 6 seed accessions of Galium buxifolium from 3 plant occurrences listed in the California Natural Diversity Database. These collections together emcompass 59 maternal plants

01/01/2010

Soil loss, habitat alteration by alien mammals, native seabirds, vehicular traffic, overcollection for scientific or horticultural purposes, competition with alien plant taxa, and the chance of random extinction. habitat alteration due to vehicula

01/01/2010

8 populations occur on TNC lands on Santa Cruz Island