GREATER CHICKWEED

Stellaria neglecta

Carnation & Campion (Pink) Family [Caryophyllaceae]

sex

28th April 2019, ancient woods, Dean Woods, Gathurst, Lancs.

Photo: © RWD

The plant which is on the diagonal from top left to bottom right. The leaves are in opposite pairs. The plant is similar to a large Common Chickweed. Has smaller flowers (petals 2.5 to 4mm long and sepals 5 to 6.5mm long) than Wood Stitchwort (petals greater than 1.5 times longer than the sepals).

28th April 2019, ancient woods, Dean Woods, Gathurst, Lancs.

Photo: © RWD

There are either a single line of hairs along the stems (all on one side) or two lines of hairs on opposite sides. This specimen has just one line.

28th April 2019, ancient woods, Dean Woods, Gathurst, Lancs.

Photo: © RWD

The sepals are shorter than the petals, but not by much.

28th April 2019, ancient woods, Dean Woods, Gathurst, Lancs.

Photo: © RWD

With either one line or two diametrically opposed lines of hairs on the stem. Also (glandular) hairs on unopened flower pods.

28th April 2019, ancient woods, Dean Woods, Gathurst, Lancs.

Photo: © RWD

With either one line or two diametrically opposed lines of hairs on the stem.

28th April 2019, ancient woods, Dean Woods, Gathurst, Lancs.

Photo: © RWD

There are only 5 petals! They are in joined pairs, in the case of Greater Chickweed (and a few other species of Stellaria) they are cleft almost to the base of the petals.

28th April 2019, ancient woods, Dean Woods, Gathurst, Lancs.

Photo: © RWD

The pollen is yellow, but the pollen is not yet showing, just the dark-purplish anthers, of which there are 10 on Greater Chickweed.

28th April 2019, ancient woods, Dean Woods, Gathurst, Lancs.

Photo: © RWD

28th April 2019, ancient woods, Dean Woods, Gathurst, Lancs.

Photo: © RWD

10 stamens with dark-purple anthers. Sepals slightly shorter than petals.

28th April 2019, ancient woods, Dean Woods, Gathurst, Lancs.

Photo: © RWD

Sepals slightly shorter than petals.

28th April 2019, ancient woods, Dean Woods, Gathurst, Lancs.

Photo: © RWD

The number of styles is the defining feature of Greater Chickweed - it has only 3 styles (white, in centre of flower).

28th April 2019, ancient woods, Dean Woods, Gathurst, Lancs.

Photo: © RWD

The 3 (slightly fuzzy) styles. All the anthers have dropped off this flower.

30th March 2014, unknown place.

With nominally 10 anthers, but the topmost one has 11.

30th March 2014, unknown place.

The pollen grains are yellow.

30th March 2014, unknown place.

But fresh and as-yet unopened anthers are a stricking matchstick-red.

30th March 2014, unknown place.

Some Hydathodes at the tips of the broad leaves (they excrete excess water from the plant).

Not to be semantically confused with : Chick Pea (icer arietinum), Chickweed Willowherb (Epilobium alsinifolium), Upright Chickweed (Moenchia erecta), Water Chickweed (Myosoton aquaticum) or with Chickweed Wintergreen (Trientalis europaea) [plants with similar names belonging to differing families]

Easily mistaken for : Common Chickweed (Stellaria media) which can have large forms when in the shade but Greater Chickweed is usually more robust and luxuriant.

Easily mis-identified as : Wood Stitchwort (Stellaria nemorum) but that has stems with hairs all around them (rather than in one or just two lines of hairs up the stem).

Stellaria

neglecta

⇐ Global Aspect ⇒

Caryophyllaceae

Distribution
family8Carnation & Campion (Pink) family8Caryophyllaceae
BSBI maps

Stellaria
(Stitchworts)