Three-horned Bedstraw

What does three-horned bedstraw look like?

• Three-horned bedstraw is a sprawling annual herb. The stems are up to 50 cm long, square in cross section and covered with downwardly pointing prickles, especially along the ribs. The leaves are long, narrow and flat and arranged in whorls; the first leaves are arranged in groups of four, with a pointed tip and a few hairs along the margins, the mature leaves are in whorls of 6 or 7, broader, with backwardly pointed prickles on the margins.
• The flowers are small and white, appear in clusters of three and are carried on short branched stems arising from the leaf whorl. Each flower forms a pair of 'seeds' or nutlets that separate when mature.
• Spread is by seed. Seed can be spread as a contaminant of agricultural products.

Impacts of three-horned bedstraw

• Three-horned bedstraw is a serious weed of crops.

Where does three-horned bedstraw occur?

• Three-horned bedstraw is a native of Europe and central Asia. On mainland Australia, three-horned bedstraw has naturalised widely in south-eastern Australia and at several locations in Western Australia.
• Three-horned bedstraw has not naturalised in Tasmania. However, the weed is recorded as an occasional contaminant of imported agricultural products.
  

What you need to do

• If you locate three-horned bedstraw anywhere in Tasmania, or if you find a plant that you think could be three-horned bedstraw, immediately contact Biosecurity Tasmania on 03 6165 3777 to report this weed.