Cerastium texanum |
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Chihuahuan mouse-ear chickweed, Texas chickweed, Texas mouse-ear chickweed |
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Habit | Plants annual, with slender taproot and branched caudex. |
Stems | erect, sparingly branched proximally, slender, 15–35 cm, sparsely glandular-pilose; small axillary tufts of leaves absent. |
Leaves | not marcescent; proximal blades broadly spatulate-petiolate, 8–55 × 3–16 mm, apex acute or obtuse, sometimes short-acuminate, softly pilose; cauline few, sessile, blade linear-lanceolate to narrowly oblanceolate, 7–30 mm, apex acute, pilose. |
Inflorescences | very open and loose, 2–9(–25)-flowered cymes; bracts narrowly lanceolate, pilose. |
Pedicels | straight, becoming sharply deflexed at base, slender, 5–20 mm, elongating in fruit, 1.5–4 times as long as sepals, glandular-pilose. |
Flowers | sepals green, turning pale orange-brown in fruit, lanceolate to ovate, 3–6 mm, margins narrow, apex acute, with short, glandular pubescence; petals oblanceolate, 5–8 mm, 1.5–2 times as long as sepals, apex 2-fid; stamens 5; styles 5. |
Capsules | cylindric, straight, 5–12 mm, 1.5–2 times as long as sepals; teeth 10, becoming outwardly coiled. |
Seeds | red-brown, 0.4–0.7 mm diam., tuberculate; tubercles ± pointed; testa not inflated. |
2n | = 36. |
Cerastium texanum |
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Phenology | Flowering spring. |
Habitat | Canyons, sandy washes, oak woodlands, mountain pine forests |
Elevation | 1200-2800 m (3900-9200 ft) |
Distribution |
AZ; NM; Mexico
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Discussion | Cerastium texanum is exceptionally variable in flower and capsule size. The extent to which this variation is due to environmental conditions or is genic in origin is not known. The broad, spatulate basal leaves and the straight, cylindric capsule with its outwardly coiled (revolute) teeth distinguish this species. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 5, p. 90. |
Parent taxa | Caryophyllaceae > subfam. Alsinoideae > Cerastium |
Sibling taxa | |
Synonyms | C. longepedunculatum var. sordidum, C. sordidum, Stellaria montana |
Name authority | Britton: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 15: 97. (1888) |
Web links |