OregonFlora: Stellaria obtusa

	Stellaria obtusa
	Rocky Mountain starwort
Habit	Plants perennial; from slender rhizomes.
Stems	generally prostrate, 4–20 cm; internodes glabrous.
Leaves	evenly spaced; ovate to elliptic, 5–12 mm, not fleshy; margins not papillate, generally flat; shiny, generally ciliate near base.
Inflorescences	flowers solitary in axils; pedicels ascending in flower, spreading in fruit.
Flowers	sepals 4(5); ovate, 1.5–3.5 mm, generally obtuse, glabrous; margins thinly scarious; veins in fruit 1, obscure; petals 0.
Fruits	globose to globose-ovoid, green or tan.
Seeds	0.6–0.7 mm; grayish black, finely reticulate.
2n	=26, 52; ~65; ~78.

	Stellaria obtusa
Distribution	[WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]
Discussion	Moist areas in meadows and woods, streambanks. Flowering May–Aug. 900–2000 m. BW, Casc. CA, ID, WA; north to British Columbia, northeast to Alberta, east to CO. Native.
Source	Flora of Oregon, volume 2, page 581 Rich Rabeler, Ronald Hartman
Sibling taxa	S. borealis, S. borealis x Stellaria longifolia, S. calycantha, S. crispa, S. graminea, S. humifusa, S. longifolia, S. longipes, S. media, S. nitens, S. umbellata
Web links	Local floras: BC, CA, OR, WA Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos, Flora NW, PNW Herbaria WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search

Stellaria obtusa

Rocky Mountain starwort

Habit

Plants perennial; from slender rhizomes.

Stems

generally prostrate, 4–20 cm;

internodes glabrous.

Leaves

evenly spaced; ovate to elliptic, 5–12 mm, not fleshy;

margins not papillate, generally flat; shiny, generally ciliate near base.

Inflorescences

flowers solitary in axils;

pedicels ascending in flower, spreading in fruit.

Flowers

sepals 4(5); ovate, 1.5–3.5 mm, generally obtuse, glabrous;

margins thinly scarious;

veins in fruit 1, obscure;

petals 0.

Fruits

globose to globose-ovoid, green or tan.

Seeds

0.6–0.7 mm; grayish black, finely reticulate.

=26, 52; ~65; ~78.

Stellaria obtusa

Distribution

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

Discussion

Moist areas in meadows and woods, streambanks. Flowering May–Aug. 900–2000 m. BW, Casc. CA, ID, WA; north to British Columbia, northeast to Alberta, east to CO. Native.

Source

Flora of Oregon, volume 2, page 581
Rich Rabeler, Ronald Hartman

Sibling taxa