Common chickweed, mouse-ear chickweed • Cerastium fontanum ssp. triviale, C. fontanum ssp. vulgare, C. vulgare
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Common chickweed growing among clover. Photos by Ian Cruickshank.
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Identification
Common chickweed is a biennial or short-lived perennial species. Its sprawling, branching stems, reaching 40 cm long, form clumps to 40 cm across. It has only stem leaves, which are spoon to oblong or lance-shaped and in opposite pairs along the stem. The leaves are hairy and to 2.5 cm long - to 4 cm long along flowering stems. Its flowers are white and form open clusters at the ends of stem branches. These flowers have five deeply divided petals, giving them the appearance of ten petals. This species produces cylindrical fruit capsules to 1 cm long.
Habitat & Range
Common chickweed is a weedy, invasive plant that grows in open, disturbed locations like gardens, roadsides, and agricultural fields. It is an introduced species from Eurasia, and is common throughout most of British Columbia as well as the rest of North America.
Similar Species
Field chickweed (Cerastium arvense) has narrower leaves (mostly linear or narrowly lance-shaped) and more conspicuous flowers.
Common chickweed is a biennial or short-lived perennial species. Its sprawling, branching stems, reaching 40 cm long, form clumps to 40 cm across. It has only stem leaves, which are spoon to oblong or lance-shaped and in opposite pairs along the stem. The leaves are hairy and to 2.5 cm long - to 4 cm long along flowering stems. Its flowers are white and form open clusters at the ends of stem branches. These flowers have five deeply divided petals, giving them the appearance of ten petals. This species produces cylindrical fruit capsules to 1 cm long.
Habitat & Range
Common chickweed is a weedy, invasive plant that grows in open, disturbed locations like gardens, roadsides, and agricultural fields. It is an introduced species from Eurasia, and is common throughout most of British Columbia as well as the rest of North America.
Similar Species
Field chickweed (Cerastium arvense) has narrower leaves (mostly linear or narrowly lance-shaped) and more conspicuous flowers.
References
Cerastium fontanum (Link) Jalas. In Klinkenberg, Brian. (Ed.). E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. Accessed 24/03/2015.
IUCN SSC Invasive Species Specialist Group. (2009). Cerastium fontanum (herb). Global Invasive Species Database. Accessed 24/03/2015.
Mouseear chickweed (Cerastium fontanum ssp. vulgare). University of California Integrated Pest Management. Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of California. Accessed 24/03/2015.
Authors and editors of page
Kelly Fretwell, Ian Cruickshank, and Brian Starzomski (2015).
Cerastium fontanum (Link) Jalas. In Klinkenberg, Brian. (Ed.). E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. Accessed 24/03/2015.
IUCN SSC Invasive Species Specialist Group. (2009). Cerastium fontanum (herb). Global Invasive Species Database. Accessed 24/03/2015.
Mouseear chickweed (Cerastium fontanum ssp. vulgare). University of California Integrated Pest Management. Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of California. Accessed 24/03/2015.
Authors and editors of page
Kelly Fretwell, Ian Cruickshank, and Brian Starzomski (2015).
