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Rocky Mountain starwort

common chickweed

Habit Plants perennial; from slender rhizomes. Plants annual but often over-wintering; from taproots.
Stems

generally prostrate, 4–20 cm;

internodes glabrous.

prostrate to erect, 7–50 cm;

internode hairs in a line.

Leaves

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

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

evenly spaced; ovate to broadly elliptic, 8–45 mm, not fleshy;

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

Inflorescences

flowers solitary in axils;

pedicels ascending in flower, spreading in fruit.

terminal or axillary;

flowers few to many;

bracts leafy;

pedicels spreading to erect in flower, curved to reflexed 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.

sepals 5, lanceolate to ovate, 3–4.5 mm; to 6+ mm in fruit; acute to obtuse, glabrous or glandular-hairy;

margins widely scarious;

veins in fruit often 1 or 3 near base;

petals 5, 0.7–0.9 × length of sepals.

Fruits

globose to globose-ovoid, green or tan.

ovoid-oblong, green or tan.

Seeds

0.6–0.7 mm; grayish black, finely reticulate.

0.9–1.3 mm, dark red-brown to brown; tubercles rounded.

2n

=26, 52; ~65; ~78.

=40, 42, 44.

Stellaria obtusa

Stellaria media

Distribution
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
[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.

Disturbed areas, cultivated fields, open woods, streambanks. Flowering Feb–Sep. 0–1500 m. BW, Casc, Col, CR, ECas, Est, Sisk, WV. CA, ID, NV, WA; cosmopolitan. Exotic.

Source Flora of Oregon, volume 2, page 581
Rich Rabeler, Ronald Hartman
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
S. borealis, S. borealis x Stellaria longifolia, S. calycantha, S. crispa, S. graminea, S. humifusa, S. longifolia, S. longipes, S. nitens, S. obtusa, S. umbellata
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