Galium mucroniferum Sond.

Perennial with a ± woody rootstock. Stems with usually many short lateral branches, scrambling, ascending or erect, 100-550 mm long; 1-2(2.5) mm in diam., glabrous, with few reversed prickles or with white, straight spreading hairs on the 4 distinct, often whitish angles. Longest internodes (15)20-45(55) mm. Middle cauline leaves in whorls of 6(-8), 1-nerved, (8)10-14 x (1)1.3-2(2.5) mm, linear-lanceolate to lanceolate, with a long hyaline point at the apex; glabrous or with a few reversed prickles on the slightly reflexed margins, or with white straight, spreading hairs on upper surface, midrib below and margins; often very shiny. Synflorescences often narrowly cylindrical, much reduced; paracladia with 2-4 flowers arranged in groups of 2; peduncles 5-12(15) mm, filiform or ± thickish, glabrous or hairy, pedicels with (3)2-1(0) minute, ± linear, glabrous bracts, (4)6-10(13) mm, elongating after anthesis, ± filiform, glabrous or hairy, strongly divaricate in fruit. Flowers strongly protandrous, 4-merous; corolla (2.5)3-4 mm in diam., rotate, sometimes with a few hairs outside, greenish-yellow, creamy-yellow or pale green; lobes much longer than wide, acute; stamina nearly as long as the corolla lobes, filaments ± filiform, anthers small, elliptic; styles ca. 2/3 fused, less than 1 mm long. Fruits glabrous, ± granulate or wrinkled, or with short straight hairs; mericarps ± globose, each (2)2.5-3 mm wide; often only one mericarp developed.