Cerastium arvense / field chickweed

Adjectives: disturbed, interesting bits, native, widespread

Also known as: field mouse-ear, meadow chickweed

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Cerastium arvense is a perennial chickweed with a spreading growth habit. It has small (ca. ½ inches across) white flowers with cleft petals. All this differentiates it from other chickweeds that are annual with extremely small flowers, e.g. C. nutans.   Additionally, the clefts in the petals are not as deep as some similar looking Stellaria species, but they can still sometimes be deep enough that the five petals look more like ten.

The flowering stems of field chickweed stand well above the leaves, carrying clusters (cymes) of white flowers. Each open inflorescence typically has 1 to 5 flowers, each of which has five, white two-lobed petals and five green sepals. There are fine dark or translucent veins that radiate from the center of each flower. Each flower also has 10 stamens with pale yellow anthers, and a yellow-green-ish pistil with 5 styles. The petal clefts, the color of the anthers, and having 5 rather than 3 styles can help distinguish it from Eremogene spp. (sandwort), for example.

Post-anthesis, the fruits are capsules up to about ½ inch long with ten tiny teeth at the tip. They contain several brown seeds.

The stems of field chickweed are quite weak, often curving back down to the ground. The leaves are narrow, lance-shaped and sessile or clasping. They are greyish-greenish and opposite, with a prominent middle vein. There are few if any leaves on the flowering stalks.

Field chickweed grows in a variety of forms, ranging from (1) strongly rhizomatous without a taproot, and generally mat-forming, to (2), tap-rooted (sometimes with short rhizomes), and more upright. (Note, however, that some sources say it has a taproot system that later develops short rhizomes).

Common growth habitats of field chickweed include rocky alpine areas, valleys, meadows, fields, plains, grassy areas, and, in particular, human disturbed areas such as lawns and roadsides. Basically, anywhere. It pops up wherever it is sunny, from sea level to over 12,000 feet.

Interesting bits: If one were to mention “chickweed”, most people (to whom it would mean anything) would think of common chickweed, or common mouse-ear chickweed. Both of these are exotics from Europe, now growing in all 50 states and Canada. Those plants have really wimpy, inconspicuous flowers, and are considered lawn weeds. On the other hand, field chickweed is a pretty little plant that doesn’t deserve its relatives.

Regardless of the species, the common name, “chickweed,” refers to a common practice of feeding Cerastium spp. plants to chickens, especially if they are sick. It has also enjoyed medicinal applications for humans.