Chickweed

Common chickweed is an annual, while mouseear chickweed is a perennial herb. Both are spreading, mat-forming plants, found in lawns, turf, cultivated fields, roadsides, forests and gardens. Common chickweed can be a serious weed in small grains, but it is an important food for wildlife and is used in orchards and vineyards to control erosion and to maintain consistent soil temperatures.

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Common Chickweed—Stellaria media

common chickweed
Creeping stems root at the nodes. Lower leaves are on long petioles, while upper leaves are without petioles.>

stem of common chickweed
Leaves are bright light-green, hairless, nearly rounded with pointed tips, and are ½ to 1½ inches long.

flower of common chickweed
Flowers occur singly, are ¼ inch across, with 5 white petals so deeply indented that they appear as 10 petals.

Mouseear Chickweed—Cerastium vulgatum, Cerastium fontanum

mouseear chickweed
All leaves are without petioles. Entire plant is covered with short white hairs.

leaves of mouseear chickweed
Leaves are dark grayish-green, oval and covered with soft white hairs, up to ¾ inch long.

flower of mouseear chickweed
Flowers have 5 white petals, deeply notched, but not as deeply as common, and usually occur in clusters of 3 at the end of stems.

Identification and Control Information

More Information

[Photos, left to right: Robert Vidéki, Doronicum Kft., Bugwood.org; Rebekah D. Wallace, Bugwood.org; Theodore Webster, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Bugwood.org; Theodore Webster, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Bugwood.org; Theodore Webster, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Bugwood.org; Joseph M. DiTomaso, University of California - Davis, Bugwood.org]