Corn Cleavers
Galium tricornutum
Galium tricornutum is a species of flowering plant in the coffee family known by the common names rough corn bedstraw, roughfruit corn bedstraw, and corn cleavers. It is widespread across most of Europe plus northern Africa and southern Asia, from Norway, Portugal and Morocco to China.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC) via https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galium_tricornutum
Taxonomy & Classification
Kingdom
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Order
Gentianales
Family
Rubiaceae
Genus
Galium
Corn Cleavers belongs to the family Rubiaceae, order Gentianales, within the Magnoliopsida class.
Species Profile
Galium tricornutum is a species of flowering plant in the coffee family known by the common names rough corn bedstraw, roughfruit corn bedstraw, and corn cleavers. It is widespread across most of Europe plus northern Africa and southern Asia, from Norway, Portugal and Morocco to China. It is also naturalized in Australia, the Canary Islands, Mauritius, Madeira, Réunion, Brazil, Argentina, and scattered locales in North America.
Corn Cleavers (Galium tricornutum) is critically endangered primarily due to the intensification of agricultural practices and widespread use of herbicides that have eliminated this arable weed from most of its former range. The species has experienced severe population declines across Europe as traditional farming methods have been replaced by modern intensive agriculture with improved seed cleaning and chemical weed control.
Key Facts
Habitat & Distribution
Threats
IUCN Red List: Critically Endangered
Corn Cleavers (Galium tricornutum) is critically endangered primarily due to the intensification of agricultural practices and widespread use of herbicides that have eliminated this arable weed from most of its former range. The species has experienced severe population declines across Europe as traditional farming methods have been replaced by modern intensive agriculture with improved seed cleaning and chemical weed control.
Agricultural intensification and herbicide use
Improved seed cleaning techniques eliminating weed seeds
Loss of traditional extensive farming practices
Competition from other weeds in remaining suitable habitats
Habitat fragmentation of arable land
Community Sightings
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Sources & Attribution
How to Cite
IUCN: IUCN (2025). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2025-1. Available at: https://www.iucnredlist.org. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2025-1.RLTS
GBIF: GBIF.org (2025). GBIF Home Page. Available at: https://www.gbif.org
This page: SpeciesRadar (2025). Corn Cleavers (Galium tricornutum). SpeciesRadar: Intelligence for Earth's Biodiversity. Available at: https://speciesradar.org/species/corn-cleavers