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status
flower
inner
morph
petals
5 (10)petals
stem
stem
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. | Photo: © Bastiaan Brak |
With nominally 10 anthers, but the topmost one has 11. |
30th March 2014, unknown place. | Photo: © Bastiaan Brak |
The pollen grains are yellow. |
30th March 2014, unknown place. | Photo: © Bastiaan Brak |
But fresh and as-yet unopened anthers are a stricking matchstick-red. |
30th March 2014, unknown place. | Photo: © Bastiaan Brak |
Some Hydathodes at the tips of the broad leaves (they excrete excess water from the plant). |
Not to be semantically confused with : 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 :
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neglecta ![]() |
⇐ Global Aspect ⇒ |
Caryophyllaceae ![]() |
![]() Stellaria (Stitchworts) |
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