Angiosperms (Flowering Plants) • Earth.com

Chickweed

(Stellaria monosperma)

galery
en

Description

Stellaria media, chickweed, is an annual and perennial flowering plant in the family Caryophyllaceae It is native to Eurasia and naturalized throughout the world. This species is used as a cooling herbal remedy, and grown as a vegetable crop and ground cover for both human and poultry consumption. It is sometimes called common chickweed to distinguish it from other plants called chickweed. Other common names include chickenwort, craches, maruns, and winterweed. The plant germinates in autumn or late winter, then forms large mats of foliage. This species is an annual in colder climates, becoming evergreen and perennial in warmer zones, with weak slender stems, up to 40 cm (16 inches). Plants are sparsely hairy. Stellaria media has one line of fine hairs on the stem. The leaves are oval and opposite, the lower ones with stalks. Flowers are white and small with five very deeply lobed petals. Some plants have no petals. There are usually three stamens and three styles. The flowers quickly form capsules. Plants may have flowers and capsules at the same time. Plants in the genus Cerastium are very similar in appearance to those of Stellaria, and are in the same family (Caryophyllaceae) but have hairs uniformly covering their stems. Stellaria media is widespread in Asia, Europe, North America, and other parts of the world. There are several closely related plants referred to as chickweed, but which lack the culinary properties of plants in the genus Stellaria. Stellaria media is common in lawns, meadows, waste places, and open areas. The larvae of the European moth yellow shell (Camptogramma bilineata), of North American moths pale-banded dart (Agnorisma badinodis) or dusky cutworm (Agrotis venerabilis), or North American butterfly dainty sulphur (Nathalis iole) all feed on chickweed. It is susceptible to downy mildew caused by the oomycete species Peronospora alsinearum. In both Europe and North America this plant is common in gardens, fields, and disturbed grounds where it grows as a ground cover. Stellaria media is edible and nutritious, and is used as a leaf vegetable, often raw in salads. It is one of the ingredients of the symbolic dish consumed in the Japanese spring-time festival, Nanakusa-no-sekku. Some varieties or similar species may be too fibrous to eat. It is also eaten by chickens, wild birds, and mountain sheep.

Taxonomic tree:

Domain:
Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order:Caryophyllales
Family:Caryophyllaceae
Genus:Stellaria
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