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Common Chickweed

Stellaria media

Please keep in mind that it is illegal to uproot a plant without the landowner's consent and care should be taken at all times not to damage wild plants. Wild plants should never be picked for pleasure and some plants are protected by law.
For more information please download the BSBI Code of Conduct PDF document.

Plant Data

Flowering Months:

JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC
(in flower all year round)

Order:

Caryophyllales

Family:

Caryophyllaceae (Pink)

Also in this family:

Alpine Catchfly, Alpine Mouse-ear, Alpine Pearlwort, Annual Knawel, Annual Pearlwort, Arctic Mouse-ear, Arctic Sandwort, Berry Catchfly, Bladder Campion, Bog Stitchwort, Bouncing Bett, Cheddar Pink, Childing Pink, Clove Pink, Common Corn-cockle, Common Mouse-ear, Common Soapwort, Coral Necklace, Corn Spurrey, Cyphel, Deptford Pink, Dwarf Mouse-ear, English Sandwort, Field Mouse-ear, Fine-leaved Sandwort, Four-leaved Allseed, Fringed Rupturewort, Fringed Sandwort, Greater Chickweed, Greater Sea-spurrey, Greater Stitchwort, Greek Sea-spurrey, Grey Mouse-ear, Heath Pearlwort, Italian Catchfly, Knotted Pearlwort, Lesser Chickweed, Lesser Sea-spurrey, Lesser Stitchwort, Little Mouse-ear, Maiden Pink, Marsh Stitchwort, Moss Campion, Mossy Sandwort, Mountain Sandwort, Night-flowering Catchfly, Nottingham Catchfly, Perennial Knawel, Pink, Procumbent Pearlwort, Proliferous Pink, Ragged Robin, Recurved Sandwort, Red Campion, Rock Sea-spurrey, Sand Catchfly, Sand Spurrey, Scottish Pearlwort, Sea Campion, Sea Mouse-ear, Sea Pearlwort, Sea Sandwort, Shetland Mouse-ear, Slender Pearlwort, Slender Sandwort, Small-flowered Catchfly, Smooth Rupturewort, Snow Pearlwort, Snow-in-summer, Spanish Catchfly, Spotted Catchfly, Spring Sandwort, Starwort Mouse-ear, Sticky Catchfly, Sticky Mouse-ear, Strapwort, Sweet William, Teesdale Sandwort, Three-nerved Sandwort, Thyme-leaved Sandwort, Upright Chickweed, Water Chickweed, White Campion, Wood Stitchwort

Type:

Flower

Life Cycle:

Annual

Maximum Size:

30 centimetres tall

Habitats:

Farmland, gardens, roadsides, seaside, wasteland, woodland.

Flower:

White, 5 petals

Tiny white flowers with 5 deeply notched petals. 5 green hairy sepals with membranous edges. 3-8 yellowish stamens, later turning reddish brown.

Fruit:

Green, hairy, oval fruits on long drooping stalks.

Leaves:

Light green opposite leaves, pointed and hairless. The lower leaves are stalked.

Aroma:

The leaves have a fresh sweet smell.

Other Names:

Adder's Mouth, Chickenwort, Chickwittles, Craches, Indian Chickweed, Maruns, Mischievous Jack, Nodding Chickweed, Satinflower, Scarweed, Star Chickweed, Starweed, Starwort, Stitchwort, Tongue Grass, White Bird's Eye, Winterweed.

Frequency (UK):

Abundant

Similar Species:

Greater Chickweed

Lesser Chickweed

Water Chickweed

Common Mouse-ear

Sticky Mouse-ear

Three-nerved Sandwort

Distribution Map

Reproduced by kind permission of the BSBI.

Click to open an Interactive Map