This bedstraw has whorls of 4 to 6 thin leaves and white flowers with 3 or 4 petals. Leaves, stems and fruits are all hairless, although the stems are slightly scaly. The paired 1-seeded fruits are on a long stem coming from the leaf axis or from the tip of the plant. The somewhat square stems and the whorled leaves are typical of the Galium genus which includes a number of hairy plants including cleavers. This species grows among the Juncus (common rush), often lying flat on top of it.