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Chihuahuan mouse-ear chickweed, Texas chickweed, Texas mouse-ear chickweed

common chickweed, common mouse-ear chickweed, céraiste commun, mouse-ear chickweed

Habit Plants annual, with slender taproot and branched caudex. Plants perennial (rarely annual), tufted to mat-forming, often rhizomatous.
Stems

erect, sparingly branched proximally, slender, 15–35 cm, sparsely glandular-pilose; small axillary tufts of leaves absent.

flowering stems erect from decumbent base, branched proximally, 10–45 cm, softly pubescent, eglandular with straight hairs; nonflowering shoots, when present, produced proximally, decumbent, rooting at nodes, branched, 5–20 cm, often subglabrous with alternating lines of eglandular hairs; small axillary tufts of leaves usually 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.

not marcescent;

blade 10–25(–40) × 3–8(–12) mm, densely covered with patent to ascending, colorless, long, eglandular hairs;

leaves of flowering shoots in distant pairs, sessile, blade elliptic to ovate-oblong, apex subacute;

leaves of sterile shoots pseudopetiolate, often spatulate, blade oblanceolate, apex obtuse.

Inflorescences

very open and loose, 2–9(–25)-flowered cymes;

bracts narrowly lanceolate, pilose.

lax, 3–50-flowered cymes;

bracts lanceolate, reduced, herbaceous, eglandular-pubescent, distal often with narrow, scarious margins.

Pedicels

straight, becoming sharply deflexed at base, slender, 5–20 mm, elongating in fruit, 1.5–4 times as long as sepals, glandular-pilose.

somewhat curved distally, 2–10(–20) mm, longer than sepals, densely pubescent with patent, eglandular, rarely glandular hairs.

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.

sepals ovate-lanceolate, 5–7 mm, margins narrow, apex acute, scarious, pubescent with eglandular, rarely glandular, hairs;

petals oblanceolate, 1–1.5 times as long as sepals, apex deeply 2-fid;

stamens 10, occasionally 5;

styles 5.

Capsules

cylindric, straight, 5–12 mm, 1.5–2 times as long as sepals;

teeth 10, becoming outwardly coiled.

narrowly cylindric, curved, 9–17 mm, ca. 2 times sepals;

teeth 10, erect, margins convolute.

Seeds

red-brown, 0.4–0.7 mm diam., tuberculate;

tubercles ± pointed;

testa not inflated.

reddish brown, 0.4–1.2 mm, bluntly tuberculate;

testa not inflated, tightly enclosing seed.

2n

= 36.

= 122–152, usually 144.

Cerastium texanum

Cerastium fontanum

Phenology Flowering spring.
Habitat Canyons, sandy washes, oak woodlands, mountain pine forests
Elevation 1200-2800 m (3900-9200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; NM; Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; AL; AR; AZ; CA; CO; CT; DC; DE; FL; GA; IA; ID; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MS; MT; NC; ND; NE; NH; NJ; NM; NV; NY; OH; OK; OR; PA; RI; SC; SD; TN; TX; UT; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; WY; AB; BC; MB; NB; NS; NT; ON; PE; QC; SK; YT; Europe [Introduced elsewhere]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
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.)

Subspecies 4 (2 in the flora).

Cerastium fontanum is a highly variable and complex species. It often has been reported as C. vulgatum Linnaeus, an ambiguous name; see discussion under the genus.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Key
1. Inflorescences never glandular; petals 1.3-1.5 times as long as sepals; capsules 11-17 mm; seeds 0.9-1.2 mm
subsp. fontanum
1. Inflorescences occasionally viscid-glandular; petals equaling sepals; capsules 9-13 mm; seeds 0.4-0.9 mm
subsp. vulgare
Source FNA vol. 5, p. 90. FNA vol. 5.
Parent taxa Caryophyllaceae > subfam. Alsinoideae > Cerastium Caryophyllaceae > subfam. Alsinoideae > Cerastium
Sibling taxa
C. aleuticum, C. alpinum, C. arcticum, C. arvense, C. axillare, C. beeringianum, C. bialynickii, C. brachypetalum, C. brachypodum, C. cerastoides, C. dichotomum, C. diffusum, C. dubium, C. fastigiatum, C. fischerianum, C. fontanum, C. glomeratum, C. maximum, C. nutans, C. pumilum, C. regelii, C. semidecandrum, C. terrae-novae, C. tomentosum, C. velutinum, C. viride
C. aleuticum, C. alpinum, C. arcticum, C. arvense, C. axillare, C. beeringianum, C. bialynickii, C. brachypetalum, C. brachypodum, C. cerastoides, C. dichotomum, C. diffusum, C. dubium, C. fastigiatum, C. fischerianum, C. glomeratum, C. maximum, C. nutans, C. pumilum, C. regelii, C. semidecandrum, C. terrae-novae, C. texanum, C. tomentosum, C. velutinum, C. viride
Subordinate taxa
C. fontanum subsp. fontanum, C. fontanum subsp. vulgare
Synonyms C. longepedunculatum var. sordidum, C. sordidum, Stellaria montana
Name authority Britton: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 15: 97. (1888) Baumgarten: Enum. Stirp. Transsilv. 1: 425. (1816)
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