Scientific Name:
Cerastium glomeratum
ssp.
vulgare
Pronunciation:
sur-ASS-tee-um glahm-er-AH-tum subspecies vul-GAIR-ee
Common Name:
mouse-eared chickweed
Family Name:
Caryophyllaceae
Plant Type:
Annual (true), Weed (horticultural)
Key ID Features:
Stem swollen at leaf node, hairy, sticky, 5-50cm long; leaves opposite, sessile, most obovate, 7-25mm long x 3-15mm wide, decussate, pubescent; flowers numerous, in cymose clusters, white with five notched petals resembling two fused petals; capsules 6-9mm long.
Habit:
Spreading
Form:
Creeping / Mat-like
Texture:
Fine
Mature Height:
< 0.1m
Mature Spread:
0.3 - 0.6m
Growth Rate:
Moderate
Origin:
Europe
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 4: (-34 to -29 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun, Part sun/part shade
Soil/Growing Medium:
Rocky or gravelly or dry, Well-drained
Water Use:
Moderate, Low
Landscape Uses:
Attract beneficial insects
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Simple
Arrangement:
Opposite, Sessile
Texture/Venation:
Soft flexible
Surfaces:
Pubescent
Colour in Fall:
Green
Shapes:
Oblanceolate, Obovate, Ovate, Spatulate
Apices:
Acute
Bases:
Attenuate
Margins:
Ciliate, Entire
Inflorescence Type:
Flowers solitary, Floriferous
Flower Morphology:
Flowers perfect
Number Of Petals:
5
Corolla Shape:
Rotate/stellate
Ovary Position:
Superior
Colour (petals):
Not showy, White
Flower Scent:
None
Flower Time at Peak:
Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct
Fruit Type:
Capsule
Fruit Colour:
Brown
Fruiting Time:
May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct
Additional Info:
Not showy
Bark or Stem Colour:
Green
Organ Modifications:
Storage tap root, roots at the nodes of the horizontal stems
Propagation:
Seed, Layering
Pest Susceptibility:
(Pest resistant, Disease resistant)
