Lesser stitchwort
Prepared by Jennifer L. D’Appollonio, Assistant Scientist, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469. Updated February 2018.
Scientific name: Stellaria graminea L.
Common name(s): lesser stitchwort, grass-like starwort, grass-leaved chickweed, grass-leaved stitchwort
Link(s): USDA PLANTS Profile, Go Botany
Images: (to see enlargements [PC]: click on image, then right click and choose “view image”)
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- growth habit
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- sepals almost as long as petals, 3-veined, fringed w/hairs
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- 5 petals are deeply notched, can look like 10 petals
Description:
– perennial
– generally flowers June to September in ME
-leaves are
- simple
- opposite
- entire
-reproduces by seeds and rhizomes
– may be confused with S. longifolia; see left sidebar on Go Botany webpage
Habitat:
-disturbed areas
-meadows
-fields
-full sun
Natural History:
-native to Europe
Source(s):
Heinrich, B. 1976. Flowering phenologies: Bog, woodland, and disturbed habitats. Ecology. 57(5):890-899.
Go Botany. “Stellaria Graminea (Ledeb.) Bong.” Stellaria Graminea (Grass-Leaved Starwort, Grass-Leaved Stitchwort): Go Botany, 2021, gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org/species/stellaria/graminea/.