North Carolina Botanical Garden

Plant Index

Scientific Name:
Common Name:
Genus:
Family:

Stellaria media

Stellaria media (L.) Vill.

common chickweed

Image ID: 18911
Image by: Ware, Richard & Teresa
Image Collection: NCBG Digital Library

PLANT INDEX

ID_PLANT: STME2
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Stellaria media
Include in WOTAS: 1
Publish to Web: 1
Last Modified: 2018-02-06

GENUS INDEX

GENUS CODE: STELL
GENUS SCIENTIFIC: Stellaria
GENUS AUTHORITY: L.
GENUS COMMON: Starwort
GENUS SUMMARY: A genus of about 120-200 species, cosmopolitan (centered in Asia).
GENUS IDENTIFICATION:
GENUS REFERENCES: Morton in FNA (2005); Bittrich in Kubitzki, Rohwer, & Bittrich (1993).

FAMILY INDEX

FAMILY CODE: CARYOP
FAMILY SCIENTIFIC: Caryophyllaceae
FAMILY AUTHORITY: A.L. de Jussieu 1789
FAMILY COMMON: Pink Family
FAMILY SUMMARY: A family of about 86 genera and 2200-3000 species, herbs, shrubs, and trees, nearly cosmopolitan, but mostly Northern Hemisphere.
FAMILY REFERENCE: Rabeler & Hartman in FNA (2005); Bittrich in Kubitzki, Rohwer, & Bittrich (1993).

NCBG DESCRIPTIVES

INTRO: Erect or reclining, mat-forming annual of disturbed areas, gardens, fields, bottomlands and moist forests. Native of Europe.
STEMS: Stems much branched and 4-angled with 1-2 rows of fine hairs.
LEAVES: Leaves opposite, sessile on upper stem and petiolate on lower stem, oval, 1/4-1 in. long.
INFLORESCENCE:
FLOWERS: Flowers solitary or in open leafy clusters at the ends of branching stems; white; about 1/4 in. wide; consisting of 5 spreading, deeply cleft petals (giving the appearance of 10 petals) and 5 hairy, lance-shaped sepals longer than and showing between the petals.
FRUITS: Fruit an oval capsule.
COMMENTS:
HEIGHT: 4-16 in.

DURATION: Annual, Perennial
HABIT: Herb

LEAF ARRANGEMENT: Opposite
LEAF COMPLEXITY: Simple
LEAF RETENTION:

FLORAL CHARACTERISTICS
SYMMETRY: Radial (Actinomorphic)
BLOOM TIME: Jan-Dec

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x

BLOOM COLOR: White

White	Red	Pink	Orange	Yellow	Green	Blue	Lavender	Purple	Violet	Brown	Not Applicable
x

FRUITING PERIOD:

DISTRIBUTION
HABITAT TYPE: Bottomlands, Disturbed, Moist forests
NATIVE RANGE: origin uncertain - probably Eurasia

HORTICULTURAL
Plant Sale Text:

Bloom Table Text:

NCBG Location:

Cultural Notes:

SOIL MOISTURE: Dry, Average, Moist/Wet
LIGHT EXPOSURE: Sun, Part Shade, Shade
MINIMUM HARDINESS ZONE:
MAXIMUM HARDINESS ZONE:
GERMINATION CODE:
WILDLIFE VALUE:
DEER RESISTANCE:

GRIM ACCESSIONS

acc_id	acc_num	acc_dt	coll_id	Action
4056	1992-0212			View
5287	1995-0408			View
5551	1995-0674			View
6335	1995-1467			View

GRIM PLANTINGS

plt_num	acc_id	loc_num	pers_num	inst_dt	Action
6384	4056	200	NCBG staff	1993-03-01	View
7743	5287	203	NCBG staff	1992-01-01	View
8065	5551	204	NCBG staff	1993-01-01	View
8990	6335	2	NCBG staff	0000-00-00	View

USDA PLANTS DATABASE

USDA Symbol: STME2
USDA Common Name: Common Chickweed
Native Status: L48 (I), AK (I), HI (I), CAN (I), GL (I), SPM (I)
Distribution: USA (AK, AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, HI, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UM, UT, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV, WY), CAN (AB, BC, LB, MB, NB, NF, NS, NT, ON,
Duration: Annual, Perennial
Growth Habit: Forb/herb

NATIONAL WETLAND INDICATOR STATUS

Region:	AGCP	AK	AW	CB	EMP	GP	HI	MW	NCNE	WMVE
Status:	FACU	UPL	FACU		UPL	FACU	FACU	FACU	FACU	FACU

This information is derived from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 2016 National Wetland Plant List, Version 3.3 (Lichvar, R.W., D.L. Banks, W.N. Kirchner, and N.C. Melvin. 2016. The National Wetland Plant List: 2016 wetland ratings. Phytoneuron 2016-30: 1-17. Published 28 April 2016. ISSN 2153 733X). Regions: AGCP-Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain, AK-Alaska, AW-Arid West, CB-Caribbean, EMP-Eastern Mountains and Piedmont, GP-Great Plains, HI-Hawaii, MW-Midwest, NCNE-Northcentral and Northeast, WMCV-Western Mountains, Valleys & Coast

WEAKLEY FLORA

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Stellaria media
COMMON NAME: Common Chickweed
SYNONYMY: [= FNA, Il, Pa, Va, WH3; < S. media - C, G, RAB, W, WV; < S. media var. media - F; = S. media ssp. media - K; < Alsine media Linnaeus - S]
PHENOLOGY: Jan-Dec.
HABITAT: Disturbed areas, gardens, fields, bottomlands, moist forests, native of Europe.
COMMENTS:
RANGE MAP: Stellaria media.png

Key to Map Symbols

ABOUT FAMILY (Weakley Flora)
Caryophyllaceae A.L. de Jussieu 1789 (Pink Family)
SUMMARY: A family of about 86 genera and 2200-3000 species, herbs, shrubs, and trees, nearly cosmopolitan, but mostly Northern Hemisphere.
REFERENCE: Rabeler & Hartman in FNA (2005); Bittrich in Kubitzki, Rohwer, & Bittrich (1993).

ABOUT GENUS (Weakley Flora)
Stellaria L. (Starwort)
SUMMARY: A genus of about 120-200 species, cosmopolitan (centered in Asia).
REFERENCE: Morton in FNA (2005); Bittrich in Kubitzki, Rohwer, & Bittrich (1993).

HERBARIUM RESOURCES

SERNEC: Find Stellaria media in Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)
UNC SERNEC: Find Stellaria media in University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Herbarium - Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)

WEB RESOURCES

USDA: Find Stellaria media in USDA Plants
NPIN: Find Stellaria media in NPIN Database
FNA: Find Stellaria media in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Stellaria media

IMAGE USE RECORDS

ID IMAGE: 18911 - Primary Image FloraQuest Plant Detail Page (Landscape Preferred)
ID IMAGE1: 18911 - Primary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE2: 0 - Secondary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE3: 18911 - Primary Image Plant Sale Sign (Landscape Only)
ID IMAGE4: 0 - Primary Image New Plant Sale Label (Portrait Only)