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Electronic Flora of South Australia species Fact Sheet

Family: Rubiaceae
Asperula gemella

Citation: Airy Shaw & Turrill, Kew Bull. 1928:102 (1928).

Synonymy: Galium geminifolium F. Muell., J. Trans. Vict. Inst. 1:147 (1855), non F. Muell. (1865). , Asperula geminifolia

Common name: Twin-leaved bedstraw.

Description:
Perennial with slightly woody base producing long weak branches up to 50 cm long, often much-branched towards the apex, usually scrambling; stems quadrangular, rarely terete later, usually glabrous, rarely with minute recurved hairs; leaves and stipules about equal, in whorls of 4 at the base, with stipules becoming shorter to minute or absent on flowering branches so that the leaves are opposite, linear or linear-elliptic, 6-15 mm long, rarely up to 35 mm long on lower branches, usually acute, glabrous rarely with a few short recurved hairs along the margin, spreading to reflexed later.

Inflorescence 1-3 terminal richasia but mainly more or less modified to irregular monochasial branching, each with up to 9 flowers; corolla yellowish-green.

Fruit 2-3 mm long, deeply 2-lobed but usually not breaking apart.

Published illustration: Cunningham et al. (1982) Plants of western New South Wales, p. 620.

Distribution:  S.Aust.: LE, FR, EP, MU, SL.   Qld; N.S.W.; Vic.

Conservation status: native

Flowering time: Sept. — March.


SA Distribution Map based
on current data relating to
specimens held in the
State Herbarium of South Australia

Biology: This species has a rather short corolla tube particularly in male flowers so that it comes well into the range found in some species of Galium. It is, however, retained in Asperula because of its dioecious plants and drupaceous fruits which do not split into 2 mericarps.

Author: Not yet available


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