Taxon Report

Galium cliftonsmithii (Dempster) Dempster & Steb.

Santa Barbara bedstraw

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Galium cliftonsmithii, commonly known as Santa Barbara bedstraw, is a perennial herb in the Rubiaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Cismontane woodland, growing at elevations from 200 to 1220 meters. Galium cliftonsmithii is ranked 4.3, Plants of Limited Distribution, A Watch List; Not very threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Galium cliftonsmithii (Dempster) Dempster & Steb.
Common Name:	Santa Barbara bedstraw
Family:	Rubiaceae
Element Code:	PDRUB0N0J0
USDA Plants Symbol:	GACL2
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial herb
Blooming Period: May-Jul	May-Jul
Elevation:	200-1220 (655-4005)
General Habitats:	Cismontane woodland
Microhabitat:
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	4.3
Global Rank:	G4
State Rank:	S4
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:
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)
Los Angeles (LAX), Monterey (MNT), San Luis Obispo (SLO), Santa Barbara (SBA), Ventura (VEN)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Beverly Hills (3411814), Carpinteria (3411945), Chimney Canyon (3512012), Goleta (3411947), Lompoc (3412064), Mt. Wilson (3411821), Newbury Park (3411828), Pasadena (3411822), San Luis Obispo (3512036), San Marcos Pass (3411957), Santa Barbara (3411946), Santa Ynez (3412051), Ventana Cones (3612136), Zaca Lake (3412071)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


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

Notes



See Brittonia 10:183 (1958) for original description, and Flora of California 4(2):44 (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 6 March 2025].