Stellaria crassifolia Ehrh.
thick-leaved starwort (fleshy starwort)
Caryophyllaceae (Pink family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

Photograph

© Adolf Ceska     (Photo ID #11440)

Map

E-Flora BC Static Map

Distribution of Stellaria crassifolia
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Species Information

General:
Perennial herb from a slender rhizome; stems decumbent to erect, many, branched, often matted, very slender, 3-30 cm tall/long.
Leaves:
Leaves opposite, unstalked, lanceolate to lance-linear, 5-20 mm long, 0.5-5.0 mm wide, thin; stipules lacking.
Flowers:
Inflorescence of solitary flowers in the leaf axils, occasionally several flowers in an open cluster; petals 5, white, deeply 2-cleft, 2.5-5 mm long; sepals 5, oblong-lanceolate, 2-3 mm long at flowering time, inconspicuously 1-nerved, glabrous or nearly so.
Fruits:
Capsules straw-coloured, narrowly egg-shaped, 4-5 mm long, 6-valved; seeds about 0.7-1 mm long, reddish-brown, minutely roughened.

Source:  The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Illustration

If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.

Ecology

Ecological Framework for Stellaria crassifolia

The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)

Site Information
 Value / Class

Avg

Min

Max
Elevation (metres)
 1308 560 2120
Slope Gradient (%)
 25 3 65

Aspect (degrees)
[0 - N; 90 - E; 180 - S; 270 - W]

 30 58 342
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR)
[0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic;
8 - hydric] 		4 2 6
Modal Nutrient Regime
Class
 C
# of field plots
 species was recorded in:
 7
Modal BEC Zone Class
 BWBS

All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in

 BAFA(1), BWBS(3), ESSF(2), MS(1)

Habitat and Range

Wet to moist streambanks, meadows and lakeshores in the montane zone; infrequent throughout BC east of the Coast-Cascade Mountains; circumpolar, N to AK, YT and NT, E to NF and S to MN, ND and CO; Eurasia.

Source:  The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

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