Hoe versus cleaver
The ‘sticky’ weed may be medicinal, but beware it getting its hooks into your garden, writes
What’s brown and sticky? A stick. What’s green and sticky and can be a real pain in the garden? Cleavers, a plant that sticks in the mind, on the clothes and on the hands... Many people have no idea of its name but they certainly know what it is – a common annual weed native to hedgerows, scrub and arable land, which spreads to gardens on the fur of animals and clothing of passers-by. One day there’s no sign of it, the next it’s there, winding its way upwards through the foliage of more-welcome plants.
It’s an annual whose creeping, straggling stems branch and grow along the ground and over other plants. They attach themselves with the small hooked hairs which grow out of the stems and leaves. The stems can reach up to three feet or more,
Although seedlings usually appear singly, rather than in great numbers (like many other common weeds), the numerous and easily-distributed seeds mean the weaned can soon establish itself as a constant pest, so it needs rooting out as soon as it’s sighted.
Galium aparine is its Latin name, but it has numerous more down-toearth names such as clivers, bedstraw, goosegrass, catchweed, stickyweed, sticky bob, stickybud, stickyback, robin-runthe-hedge, sticky willy, sticky willow.
The adjective “sticky” tells you just about everything.
Although it is definitely a pest, it has historically been known as a medicinal plant, most commonly as a cleansing herb for treating ailments from kidney and urinary disorders to infections and itching. It is also excellent for skin conditions like eczema and is claimed to be useful as a slimming aid as well.
And it’s food too. It can be used in sandwiches and sautéed. Its fruits can be collected and dried, then roasted for use as a coffee substitute. Leaves and stems can be dried and used for tea.
Hand-pulling or hoeing the weed seedlings is the easiest way to control the plant, but it’s a job that may need to be done time and again, particularly if any flowers have been allowed to set seed.
Strangely, there are some people who quite like cleavers in their garden – the plant is quite attractive and it rarely threatens to overwhelm other plants.