1514 Galium aparine L.

This species is nowadays almost cosmopolitan. It is considered to originate from Europe and perhaps parts of N. Africa and W. Asia. It has spread with agriculture within and outside the European area, for instance to C. and S. Africa, E. Asia, N. and S. America, Australia and New Zealand. With its present distribution it belongs to the circumpolar plants (Hultén, Circumpol. Il, p. 214, 388 and map 206).