Stellaria media (L.) Vill.

  • Authority

    Gleason, Henry A. & Cronquist, Arthur J. 1991. Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. lxxv + 910 pp.

  • Family

    Caryophyllaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Stellaria media (L.) Vill.

  • Description

    Species Description - Annual, the weak, branched stems to 4 dm, puberulent in 1 or 2 broad lines; lvs mostly 1–3 cm, ovate to obovate, the upper sessile, the lower with progressively longer petiole, often ciliate toward the base or on the petiole, otherwise mostly glabrous; fls solitary or in small, terminal, leafy cymes; sep lance-oblong, 3.5–6 mm, obtuse or acutish, ± hairy and pustulate; pet shorter than the sep; stamens 3–5(10); fr ovoid, usually deflexed; seeds 0.9–1.2 mm, suborbicular, bluntly papillate, so that the margin looks wavy; 2n mostly=40–44. A highly variable weed of waste places, cult. areas, meadows, and woodlands, intr. from the Old World, but sometimes appearing like a native. Early spring–late fall. (Alsine m.)

  • Common Names

    common chickweed