Abstract
The genus Galium Linnaeus (1753: 105), a well-known member of the madder family, consists of around 650 perennial and annual herbaceous species widely distributed in temperate, subtropical, and tropical regions worldwide (Ehrendorfer et al. 2005, Chen & Ehrendorfer 2011). This genus is distinguished from other genera belonging to Rubiaceae by several morphological characteristics including the leaves in whorls of 2–8, 3 or 4-lobed corollas, rudimentary corolla tubes, and dry mericarps (Yamazaki 1993, Ehrendorfer et al. 2014, Elkordy & Schanzer 2015).