Cleavers - Galium aparine

No plant will stick to tour soul quite so much as cleavers.

The term "cleavers" essentially means "clingers"—referring to how the plant clings or sticks to clothing, animal fur, and even other plants as it spreads and climbs. It is believed to originate from the verb "to cleave", which in older English signifies "to cling" or "to stick" (as opposed to "to split," which is another usage of the same word).

Cleavers

Also known as 'sticky willy', or 'sticky weed', many of its common names refer to this velcro-like quality. Indeed its botanical name, bestowed upon it by eighteenth century botanist, Carl Linnaeus, also refers to this stickiness: 'aparine' originates from the Greek aparo which means 'to seize' , referring to it's ability to cling onto things. ('Galium' refers to its ability to curdle milk, which also gives some clue as to its historical usage).

Many people will fondly recall having played with this plant in their youth, and it's one of the few wild plants (aside from nettles) that even the most weedophobic people will respond with some recognition: 'ohh yeah, I know that one'. But it is still largely thought of as a weed, with most people completely unaware that they are nutritious, highly medicinal and play an important role in local ecosystems.

Identification of Cleavers

Fascinatingly, cleavers are part of the coffee family (Rubiaceae) - not something you'd necessarily expect looking at them!

It grows across the world in temperate climates, naturally found in hedgerows, woodland margins, field edges, and disturbed ground.

Identifying it is pretty easy due to aforementioned stickiness. It is covered with tiny hooks that give it a Velcro effect - not unlike burdock. This stickiness is a clever evolutionary tactic called epizoochory, which means seed dispersal by clinging to animals. By hitching a ride on a passing creature (or unsuspecting forager), cleavers can spread far beyond their original growing spot. It’s a brilliant way to colonize new territory without needing the wind or insects to carry their seeds.

These hooks also help the plant scramble and climb over others, allowing cleavers to reach sunlight even though they have weak stems. So, their clinginess is both a way to move and to grow.

The scrawny plants have up to 10 whorls and are one of the first signs that spring is truly here. They have tiny white star shaped flowers which then later give way to little brown seeds.

Cleavers could be confused with ofher plants in that same family, such as lady’s bedstraw Galium verum, but are easily distinguished as these other plants do not attach themselves to you at any opportunity.

Folklore and History

Quite often, I'll take a deep dive researching a common plant and find that not much folkore arises. This always surprises me because the plant's common or botanical name often denotes some culinary or medicinal use -- but the rituals and stories associated with them are confined to the oft unwritten world of social history rather than the heavily penned world of political history.

So what do we know of cleavers' historical use? The plant was however once used as a potherb in medieval times; it had the benefit of being consumable early in the year. I love that so many plants we think of as weeds and try hard to eradicate from our gardens were actually welcomed and actively used in times gone by. I like to imagine what recipes this would have been used in - perhaps stews and broths...

The common name “goose grass” is thought to refer to the fact that it is well liked by animals expecially poultry and geese. I always think that names that tie a plant's use uniquely to a type of animal feed are a bit of a misleading as it almost insunates that the plant is beneath human consumption; as though it has no nutrition (the same is true of Hogweed). In reality, nothing could be further from the truth - Goose grass is very nutritious, as we'll explore below under 'foraging uses'.

Foraging uses

Cleavers are one of the first wild plants I ever foraged - mostly because thier stickiness makes them easily identifiable.The whole plant is rich in vitamin C, so not a bad thing to be adding to your diet - though it is quite tough to eat so it may not be your first 'go to' in the wild recipe book.

The leaves are edible when very young - I think they taste quite nice chopped up and sautéed with mushrooms. If you boil the plant - for example in a stew - the bristles soften. However they do retain their tough structure and to be honest there are lots of much more easily consumable wild plants to be adding to your food.

As mentioned earlier, the plant is in the coffee family - and I've heard that the roasted like coffee if you have the patience to collect them (I never have!).

Where this plant really comes into its own is infused in liquid. It is great infused in water - just pop some in the fridge with some lemon and cucumber.

Alternatively it can also be infused in vinegar for on month, strained and used as an addition to salad dressing.

Cleavers infused in cold water

Medicinal uses

This is a great medicinal plant, being anti inflammatory, diuretic and great for detoxifying the lymphatic system. It can be used treat a whole range of skin conditions from acne to eczema, swollen lymph nodes and also cystitis (see the Handmade Apothecary).

There have also been recent studies showing that it might be able to help with the treatment of certain breast cancers, which is an exciting development (see Science Direct)

Biodiversity

Cleavers may be irritatingly clingy to our clothes, but they play a surprisingly supportive and generous role in the natural world. They grow freely across hedgerows, woodland margins, and disturbed ground—habitats that serve as crucial corridors for UK wildlife.

Their spindly, tangled growth provides a dense, low-lying cover where small mammals like wood mice can hide or forage.

They’re also an important food plant for caterpillars of many butterfly and moth species, including the barred straw moth and the hummingbird hawk-moth.

As the plant matures, it produces those distinctive sticky seeds, which become a vital winter food source for birds like finches, wrens, and dunnocks, particularly when other food is scarce. These seeds may even end up lining nests.

In terms of the ecosystem, cleavers are what’s known as a pioneer species—plants that quickly colonise disturbed or bare ground. They help stabilise the soi, and even play a role in suppressing invasive non-native plants in some areas by crowding them out.

So, far from being just a sticky nuisance, cleavers are part of a wild and generous web—nurturing wildlife from the ground up.

Concluding thoughts

Cleavers always find a way to cling on—quietly reminding us of their presence. And maybe that’s the point. They are so often overlooked, yet they hold stories of medieval kitchens, folk traditions, childhood mischief, and ecological resilience all within their wiry stems.

More than that, their tendancy to cling reminds me of the connections between us all. As a mother of a young baby who is pretty stuck to me most of the time, I am reminded of how we need each other, and that this co-dependence is in many ways a beautiful thing.

Life is dependent on other living things -- whether that's a baby depending on its mother, or a plant clinging onto a passerby. Remembering this every time I walk past a patch of cleavers is humbling. And as the plant is literally calling to be picked and disposed somewhere else, particularly when it is in seed, why not give it a helping hand?