common mouse-ear chickweed
Cerastium fontanum
Summary 3
Cerastium fontanum, also called mouse-ear chickweed, common mouse-ear, or starweed, is a species of mat-forming perennial or, rarely, annual plant. It is native to Europe but introduced elsewhere. Its identifying characteristics are tear-shaped leaves growing opposite one another in a star pattern, hairy leaves, and small white flowers.
Common Mouse-Ear is a A perennial herb with hairy stems and leaves; asending-erect flowering stems up to 20cm; shorter, basal, procumbent non-flowering stems. Leaves are arranged in opposite pairs; leaf blades 8-20 x 1.5-8mm, elliptic to ovate-lance-shaped in outline; densely hairy, dark, greyish green. Flowerheads are formed of 3-9 flowers in terminal dichasia; flowers have 5, notched, white petals; petals are generally slightly shorter to slightly longer than sepals, rarely nearly twice as long. Fruit consists of a papery capsule (>8mm long) containing seeds; seeds dispersed by animals and birds; seeds may be viable in the soil for 5 years or more. Common on bare ground and sparsely vegetated stony and gravelly areas; frequent in Festuca grassland' occurring occasionally throughout most other native vegetation apart from the wettest bog.
Distirbution 4
Widespread in many habitats
Comments 5
Stellaria has 3 styles in the flower. Cerastium has 5 styles in the flower and the petals are split to less than halfway. Common mouse-ear may be confused with common chickweed however the latter is an annual with smaller flowers that is hairless apart from 1 (rarely 2) distinct line of hairs along one side of its stems.
Sources and Credits
- (c) Peter O'Connor aka anemoneprojectors, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://www.flickr.com/photos/anemoneprojectors/9163760223/
- (c) stuwhiterod, all rights reserved
- Adapted by stuwhiterod from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerastium_fontanum
- (c) Kelvin Floyd, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
- Adapted by stuwhiterod from a work by (c) Kelvin Floyd, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
More Info
- iNat taxon page
- African Plants - a photo guide
- Atlas of Living Australia
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- BOLD Systems BIN search
- Calflora
- CalPhotos
- Catalogo de Plantas y Líquenes de Colombia
- eFloras.org
- Flora of North America (beta)
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
- Go Botany
- HOSTS - a Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants
- IPNI (with links to POWO, WFO, and BHL)
- Jepson eFlora
- Maryland Biodiversity Project
- NatureServe Explorer 2.0
- NBN Atlas
- New Zealand Plant Conservation Network
- OregonFlora.org
- SEINet Symbiota portals
- Tropicos
- USDA PLANTS database
- VASCAN by Canadensys
- World Flora Online
iNat Map
| Group | Forb |
|---|---|
| Category | Non Native |
