GREATER CHICKWEED

Stellaria neglecta

Carnation & Campion (Pink) Family [Caryophyllaceae]

month8apr month8april month8may month8jun month8june month8jul month8july

status
statusZnative
 		 flower
flower8white
 		 inner
inner8yellow
 		 morph
morph8actino
 		 petals
petalsZ5
5 (10)		 petals
petalsZcleft petalsZcut
 		 stem
stem8square
 		 stem
stem8round
 		 sex
sexZbisexual
 

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.

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
genus8Stellaria
Stellaria
(Stitchworts)

GREATER CHICKWEED

Stellaria neglecta

Carnation & Campion (Pink) Family [Caryophyllaceae]