Goosegrass (or Cleavers) is a straggling bristly annual that climbs up hedgerows and scrambles over scrub, cultivated and waste ground. Small clusters of goosegrass leaves appear in winter, ready for a surge in growth in the warmer weather of spring.
The fruits are covered in hooks which attach readily to clothes and animal fur, thus aiding seed dispersal. The leaves are arranged in a whorl, and are covered with backward-pointing bristles, which can also stick to clothes and fur. The tiny white flowers are arranged in small inconspicuous groups.

Flowers and early fruit		Close-up of fruits, showing hooked spines		Leaves with backward-pointing bristles