Biosecurity Spotters logo

False cleavers (Galium spurium)

False cleavers is a potential weed of temperate environments in Australia and is recorded in Western Australia, South Australia, New South Wales and Victoria, though it is not yet widely naturalised. Its seeds can contaminate canola and cause downgrading, a significant issue reported in North America.

Key facts

Type: Weed, herb.

Native to: Northern Africa, Europe, temperate Asia and Pakistan.

Established in: NSW, VIC, SA, WA.

Other names: Stickywilly, Marin County Bedstraw.

Best time to act: Look for and treat plants before seed set; peak flowering and fruiting occurs from August to December.

Identification

  • It is a fast-growing annual herb with slender, climbing or scrambling stems 10–100 cm long and up to 30 cm high.
  • The branched stems are square in cross-section and have stout, backward-pointing hairs along their ridges, making them rough to touch.
  • Narrow, stalkless leaves grow in whorls, usually of five or six, and have pointed tips with backward-pointing prickles along the margins.
  • The small flowers are greenish-yellow, and the plump, two-lobed fruits are blackish-brown or reddish-brown, smooth or bearing hooked bristles.
  • Look-alike: Cleavers (Galium aparine) has white rather than yellow or yellow-green flowers and usually has six to eight leaves per whorl; false cleavers usually has five or six.
  • Look-alike: Rough corn bedstraw (Galium tricornutum) lacks hairs, and its fruits are roughened by small granules rather than smooth or covered with hooked hairs.

Where it grows

In Australia it occurs in Western Australia, South Australia, New South Wales and Victoria, in habitats including coastal scrub, granite escarpments, limestone cliffs, creek-lines, roadsides and farms.

Why it matters

  • It is a potential weed of temperate environments and invades crops, pastures, gardens, waste areas and disturbed sites.
  • It can grow and invade riparian and disturbed open vegetation.
  • In North America, it is a significant agricultural weed, especially for canola producers; seed contamination can downgrade canola and lead to new infestations.

How it spreads

  • It reproduces by seed, and hooked bristles on stems, leaves and fruits cling to clothing and animal fur.
  • It can also spread by water, machinery and contaminated agricultural produce, including imported canola.

Control options

  • Hand-pull small infestations while plants are young and before they set seed; the plants are weak-rooted and can be readily removed.
  • For larger infestations, use registered herbicides suitable for false cleavers and follow their label directions.
  • Manage it as a similar species, cleavers (Galium aparine); studies on cleavers indicate that even minor tillage can promote recruitment, so limiting spring tillage may help.
  • Use clean tillage and certified seed to help limit its spread.

Hygiene and washdown

  • Clean machinery and equipment to reduce the risk of moving hooked seeds between sites.
  • Use certified seed and clean tillage, and check clothing and gear because the hooked bristles can cling to them.
  • Inspect and clean vehicles, plant and footwear before leaving an infested area, paying attention to tyres, radiators, belly plates, tracks and floor mats.
  • Wash down at a designated bay where runoff is contained and can be monitored for seedlings.
  • Record each washdown so the client has evidence of clean entry and exit.

Classification by state

  • Australia (national): No national listing. Managed under state and territory law.
  • Queensland: Not prohibited or restricted. Not listed as prohibited or restricted matter in Queensland. Everyone must also take all reasonable and practical steps to minimise its risks (the general biosecurity obligation).
  • New South Wales: Not a priority weed. Not a state or regional priority weed in NSW. The general biosecurity duty applies: anyone dealing with it must prevent, eliminate or minimise the risk it poses.
  • Victoria: Not declared. Not declared under the Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994. Other Victorian laws may still apply.
  • South Australia: Not declared. Not declared under the Landscape South Australia Act 2019. Other laws may still apply.
  • Western Australia: Declared pest (no control category). Declared pest in WA without a control category, so there is no state-wide control requirement, but movement and keeping rules can still apply.
  • Tasmania: Declared weed. Property managers are required by law to control declared weeds, and their import and sale are prohibited.
  • Northern Territory: Not declared. Not on the NT A to Z weed list, and Weeds Australia does not list it as declared in the NT. Check the NT declared weeds list before moving or planting it.
  • Australian Capital Territory: Not declared. Not declared under the Biosecurity Act 2023 (ACT). A general biosecurity duty still applies.

Legal obligations

Every state and territory places a duty on landholders and people working on land to prevent the spread of invasive species, such as the general biosecurity obligation in Queensland and the general biosecurity duty in New South Wales. Declarations and control requirements differ between states and local government areas, so check the current official list before work starts.

  • New South Wales: Biosecurity Act 2015 (NSW), administered by NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development
  • Victoria: Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994 (Vic), administered by Agriculture Victoria
  • South Australia: Landscape South Australia Act 2019 (SA), administered by the regional landscape board
  • Western Australia: Biosecurity and Agriculture Management Act 2007 (WA), administered by the WA Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development

Sources