Cerastium arvense |
Cerastium dichotomum |
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céraiste des champs, field chickweed, field mouse-ear chickweed, field or prairie mouse-ear chickweed, meadow chickweed, starry cerastium |
dry chickweed, fork chickweed, fork mouse-ear chickweed |
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Habit | Plants perennial, clumped and taprooted, or mat-forming and long-creeping rhizomatous. | Plants annual, with slender taproot. | ||||
Stems | flowering shoots often decumbent proximally, 5–20(–30) cm, glandular-pubescent distally, pilose-subglabrous, deflexed or spreading proximally; non-flowering shoots present; small tufts of leaves present in axils of proximal leaves. |
erect, simple or several from branched caudex, 15–30 cm, densely viscid-glandular; small axillary tufts of leaves usually absent. |
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Leaves | not marcescent, sessile, ± spatulate proximally; blade linear-lanceolate to lanceolate or narrowly oblong, 4–30 × 0.5–6 mm, apex acute, rarely obtuse, subglabrous to softly pubescent, sometimes glandular. |
not marcescent, sessile; blade broadly linear to linear lanceolate to oblong, 12–30(–50) × 3–10(–15) mm, apex usually acute, densely viscid-glandular. |
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Inflorescences | lax, 1–20-flowered cymes, pubescence short, glandular; bracts lanceolate, margins narrow, scarious, glandular-pubescent. |
dense, 3–30-flowered cymes; bracts foliaceous, glandular-pubescent. |
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Pedicels | curved just below calyx, 5–30 mm, 1–6 times as long as sepals, glandular-pubescent. |
erect, 2–10 mm, shorter than sepals, with dense, spreading, glandular pubescence. |
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Flowers | sepals narrowly lanceolate to lance-elliptic, 3.5–7 mm, margins narrow, softly pubescent; petals obovate, 7.5–12.5 mm, ca. 2 times as long as sepals, apex 2-fid; stamens 10; anthers 0.8–1.1 mm; styles 5. |
sepals lanceolate, 6–11 mm, margins narrow, apex acute, pubescence dense, stout, shorter than sepal tips, viscid-glandular; petals oblanceolate, 8–10 mm, ca. equaling sepals, apex shortly 2-fid; stamens 5; styles 5. |
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Capsules | cylindric, curved, 7.5–11.5 × 2.5–4 mm, (1–)1.5–2 times as long as sepals; teeth 10, erect, margins convolute. |
narrowly conic, straight, 10–15 mm, ca. 2 times as long as sepals; teeth 10, erect, margins convolute. |
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Seeds | brown, 0.6–1.2 mm diam., tuberculate; testa not inflated. |
chestnut brown, ca. 1.3 mm, tuberculate; testa not inflated. |
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2n | = 36, 72, (108, Europe). |
= 38. |
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Cerastium arvense |
Cerastium dichotomum |
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Phenology | Flowering spring–early summer. | |||||
Habitat | Arable land, roadsides | |||||
Elevation | 300-900 m (1000-3000 ft) | |||||
Distribution |
AK; AZ; CA; CO; CT; IA; ID; IN; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MT; ND; NE; NH; NJ; NM; NV; NY; OH; OR; PA; SD; UT; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; WY; AB; BC; MB; NB; NF; NS; NT; NU; ON; PE; QC; SK; YT; Worldwide
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CA; OR; WA; s Europe [Introduced in North America]
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Discussion | Subspecies 2+ (2 in the flora). The infraspecific taxonomy of Cerastium arvense is subject to many different interpretations. While many subspecies have been recognized, the “actual” number is uncertain because of worldwide distribution, wide range of variation, and conflicting taxonomies. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Cerastium dichotomum is very similar to C. inflatum Link from the Middle East [C. dichotomum subsp. inflatum (Link) Cullen] and is sometimes equated with it, but that species differs from C. dichotomum in having an inflated fruiting calyx. Reports of C. siculum Gussone in North America are referable to C. dichotomum. Cerastium dichotomum is a rare weed of arable land and roadsides. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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Key |
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Source | FNA vol. 5, p. 79. | FNA vol. 5, p. 84. | ||||
Parent taxa | Caryophyllaceae > subfam. Alsinoideae > Cerastium | Caryophyllaceae > subfam. Alsinoideae > Cerastium | ||||
Sibling taxa | ||||||
Subordinate taxa | ||||||
Name authority | Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 438. (1753) | Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 438. (1753) | ||||
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