Birdweed, Common Chickweed, Chickenwort, Passerina, Starweed, Star Chickweed, Winterweed…

Stellaria media

stell-AR-ee-uh  MEED-ee-uh

Synonyms of Stellaria media (3) (Updated on 12-12-23 from Plants of the World Online): Alsine media L. (1753), Stellaria media subsp. typica Bég. (1910)(not validly publ.), Stellularia media (L.) Kuntze (1891)
Synonyms of Stellaria media subsp. media (72) (Updated on 12-12-23 from POWO): I didn’t want to take the space to add 72 synonyms, but you can view them by clicking HERE. 

Stellaria media (L.) Vill. is the accepted scientific name for the Common Chickweed. It was named and described as such by Domínique Villars in the third volume of Histoire des Plantes de Dauphiné in 1789. It was first named and described as Alsine media by Carl von Linnaeus in the first volume of the first edition of Species Plantarum in 1753.

Accepted Infraspecific Names (2) (Updated on 12-12-23): *Stellaria media subsp. media (autonym), Stellaria media subsp. romana Beger (1920). *When an infraspecific taxon is named, an autonym (“type-specimen”) is automatically generated whose description is closest to the (original) species. All have their own list of synonyms… Stellaria media subsp. romana is a native of Italy

The genus, Stellaria L., was described by Carl von Linnaeus in the first volume of the first edition of Species Plantarum in 1753.

As of 12-12-23 when this page was last updated, Plants of the World Online by Kew lists 170 species in the Stellaria genus. It is a member of the plant family Caryophyllaceae with 102 genera. Those numbers could change as updates are made on POWO.

The above distribution map for Stellaria media is from Plants of the World Online. Areas in green are where the species is native and purple is where it has been introduced. The map on the USDA Plants Database for the United States and Canada is the same.

The map on iNaturalist shows where members have made observations. Anyone can join and it is a great website to confirm and share your observations. The maps on iNaturalist are continually updated as members post new observations.

THERE ARE SEVERAL LINKS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE FOR FURTHER READING AND TO HELP WITH A BETTER POSITIVE ID.

I think every gardener knows what Chickweed is since it is quite common throughout most of the world. Despite its unneeded activity in flower beds and gardens, Chickweed has several medicinal properties and is said to be healthy to eat in salads. Personally, I have not tried it in salads but I have bought salve made from it and it was great. It is much easier to buy it from a natural food store than to make it yourself.

Stellaria media (Common Chickweed), an Eurasian native, is one of the most common weeds found throughout much of the world. Well known for its mat-forming habit, the stems grow from shallow, fibrous roots. There is almost no end as plants root from leaf nodes along the stems. 

Plants grow in full or partial sun and prefer moist, fertile, loamy to clay-loam soil. They grow in almost any habitat in lawns, flower beds, gardens, pastures, etc., etc., and so on. I know from experience, that chickweed can be a real pain in the neck in my flower beds. They are among the first “weeds” to green up and they take full advantage of being able to spread and dominate areas before other plants start to grow. Once it gets hot and dry, however, they start to fizzle out, leaving their seeds behind for future generations.

The stems are primarily spreading, but they can be more erect if other plants (or foundations) hold them up. Information online suggests the stem grow from 1/2” to 1’ long, branch out at the lower part of the stems, and root at leaf nodes… It seems they can go on forever if you have been in a HUGE colony or have to pull them up in a flower bed. Luckily, they have a shallow root system, but unfortunately, their fibrous roots break and they just keep growing new stems… The stems are normally green, but can also be maroon or burgundy color, and have tiny white hairs in longitudinal lines.

The leaves grow in pairs in an opposite manner along the stems. Lower leaves have short petioles (leaf stems) while the upper leaves are smaller and are sessile (no petioles). The leaves are ovate to oval-ovate and have smooth margins.

The stems terminate in clusters (cymes) of flowers, or even as a single flower, on fairly long peduncles (flower stems). 

The small white flowers have 5 petals that are deeply notched making them appear to have 10 petals. The flowers have 3-7 stamens with purplish anthers that, along with the sepals, alternate with the petals. You can also see the stigma above the ovary in the center. The anthers produce the pollen that will eventually collect on the stigma either from wind or insects. Stellaria media is self-fertile, but most of the pollination is done by insects.

The flowers are subtended by 5 bluntly pointed hairy sepals.

Removing Chickweed from the flower beds is just something I have learned to live with. It grows freely in several areas, but it isn’t allowed in flower beds or the garden. Once the temps get warmer and the rain is less plentiful, the Chickweed starts to fizzle out.

Ummm… Plants can continue to produce seeds even when pulled up and can re-establish themselves when left on the ground.

The Chickweed greens up early in the spring giving them a competitive edge…

Several species of small bees and flies visit the flowers to feed on nectar and pollen. If the flowers are not pollinated by insects, they are also self-fertile. 

Plants flower from March-November, or even all year long, if the conditions are right…

Fertile flowers are replaced by cylindric seed capsules that contain about 15 seeds. Each Chickweed plant can produce over 800 seeds that can lay dormant for up to 10 years. 

The chickweed goes wild in an area behind the chicken house. GEEZ!

When I was taking photos of the Stellaria media in the flower bed on the north side of the house on 4-2-23, I noticed a few in front of the steps were somewhat larger. I walked around to the back of the house where there was a colony of much larger chickweed. I took a few photos of plants there and uploaded all of them on iNaturalist. One of the suggestions was Stellaria neglecta. I got to wondering so I looked up Stellaria neglecta. As it turns out, they are basically the same except S. neglecta are much larger and have 8-10 stamens instead of 5 like S. media. It was too late by them to check the stamens on the plants at the back of the house (the flowers were closing for the night. The next day I checked and they indeed have 8-10 stamens… Who would have thought there was another chickweed species around the corner. S. neglecta is apparently quite rare, or at least they have been around and no one paid much attention. My observation on iNaturalist is the only one for Missouri, and as of 4-4-23, there are only 391 observations worldwide… I don’t have a page for it yet…

I have enjoyed photographing and learning about the many wildflowers growing on the family farm and in other areas. The farm is in Windsor, Missouri in Pettis County (Henry County is across the street and Benton and Johnson aren’t far away). I have grown over 500 different plants and identified over 250 species of wildflowers (most have pages listed on the right side of the page). I am not an expert, botanist, or horticulturalist. I just like growing, photographing, and writing about my experience. I rely on several websites for ID and a few horticulturalists I contact if I cannot figure them out. Wildflowers can be somewhat variable from location to location, so sometimes it gets a bit confusing. If you see I have made an error, please let me know so I can correct what I have written.

I hope you found this page useful and be sure to check the links below for more information. They were written by experts and provide much more information. Some sites may not be up-to-date but they are always a work in progress. If you can, I would appreciate it if you would click on the “Like” below and leave a comment. It helps us bloggers stay motivated. You can also send an email to me at thebelmontrooster@yahoo.com. I would enjoy hearing from you especially if you notice something is a bit whacky.

FOR FURTHER READING:
PLANTS OF THE WORLD ONLINE (GENUS/SPECIES)
INTERNATIONAL PLANT NAMES INDEX (GENUS/SPECIES)
TROPICOS (GENUS/SPECIES)
FLORA OF MISSOURI (GENUS/SPECIES)
FLORA OF NORTH AMERICA (GENUS/SPECIES)
WORLD FLORA ONLINE (GENUS/SPECIES)
WIKIPEDIA (GENUS/SPECIES)
USDA PLANTS DATABASE
DAVE’S GARDEN
MISSOURI PLANTS
MSU-MIDWEST WEEDS AND WILDFLOWERS
UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI-WEED ID GUIDE
iNATURALIST
WILDFLOWER SEARCH
ILLINOIS WILDFLOWERS
MINNESOTA WILDFLOWERS
KANSAS WILDFLOWERS AND GRASSES
NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY
PFAF(PLANTS FOR A FUTURE)
GO BOTANY
FLORA FINDER
FRIENDS OF THE WILDFLOWER GARDEN
MARYLAND BIODIVERSITY PROJECT
UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON/BURKE HERBARIUM
INVASIVE PLANT ATLAS
CLEMSON UNIVERSITY

NOTE: The data (figures, maps, accepted names, etc.) may not match on these websites. It depends on when and how they make updates and when their sources make updates. Some websites have hundreds and even many thousands of species to keep up with. Accepted scientific names change periodically and it can be hard to keep with as well. Some of the links may use a name that is a synonym on other sites. In my opinion, Plants of the World Online by Kew is one of the most reliable and up-to-date plant databases and they make updates regularly. I make updates “at least” once a year and when I write new pages or add new photos but I do get behind. We are all a work in progress. 🙂