Taxon Report

Galium angustifolium Nutt. ssp. gracillimum Dempster & Steb.

slender bedstraw

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Galium angustifolium ssp. gracillimum, commonly known as slender bedstraw, is a perennial herb in the Rubiaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Joshua tree "woodland", and Sonoran desert scrub, growing at elevations from 130 to 1550 meters. Galium angustifolium ssp. gracillimum is ranked 4.2, Plants of Limited Distribution, A Watch List; Moderately threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Galium angustifolium Nutt. ssp. gracillimum Dempster & Steb.
Common Name:	slender bedstraw
Family:	Rubiaceae
Element Code:	PDRUB0N04B
USDA Plants Symbol:	GAANG3
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial herb
Blooming Period: Apr-Jun(Jul)	Apr-Jun(Jul)
Elevation:	130-1550 (425-5085)
General Habitats:	Joshua tree "woodland", Sonoran desert scrub
Microhabitat:	Granitic, Rocky
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	4.2
Global Rank:	G5T4
State Rank:	S4
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:	SB_CalBG/RSABG
CRPR Changes:

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	0
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	0
Good (B)	0
Fair (C)	0
Poor (D)	0
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	0

Location


California Endemic: True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Imperial (IMP), Los Angeles (LAX), Riverside (RIV), San Bernardino (SBD), San Diego (SDG)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Arica Mountains (3411418), Big Bear City (3411637), Bighorn Canyon (3411635), Catclaw Flat (3411616), Chilao Flat (3411831), Cleghorn Lakes (3411537), Condor Peak (3411832), East Deception Canyon (3311683), Fawnskin (3411638), Fountain Peak (3411585), Hayden (3511515), Idyllwild (3311666), Indian Cove (3411612), In-ko-pah Gorge (3211661), Jacumba (3211662), Joshua Tree South (3411613), Keys View (3311682), Morongo Valley (3411615), Mt. Wilson (3411821), Onyx Peak (3411626), Palm Springs (3311675), Queen Mtn. (3411611), Rattlesnake Canyon (3411636), Rimrock (3411625), San Jacinto Peak (3311676), Seven Palms Valley (3311684), Toro Peak (3311654), Valyermo (3411747), White Water (3311686), Yucca Valley North (3411624), Yucca Valley South (3411614)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	0
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	0	0 %

Notes



Possibly threatened by trampling and foot traffic. See Madroño 21(2):90 (1971) for original description, and Flora of California 4(2):23-26 (1979) by L. Dempster for taxonomic treatment.
Threats:

Taxonomy:

Selected References

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 8 October 2025].