Stellaria media
Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- stell-AR-ee-uh MEED-ee-uh
- Description
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Chickweed is a cool-season, edible, annual herb in the carnation family (Caryophyllaceae) that is generally considered a weed. It is native to Eurasia and North Africa and found throughout the United States. The common name is an acknowledgment of chickens’ fondness for this plant as a food source.
It grows most aggressively in the late winter and early spring and in moist, neutral to acidic soil and full sun or partial shade. It can be very lush and vigorous when grown in a fertile soil; in infertile soils it will flower and set seed while still very small. With a sprawling habit it grows 4 to 20 inches high and 4 to 12 inches wide. It branches abundantly near the base, but very little toward the tips of the stems. A typical plant will bloom sporadically for one to two months. Chickweed spreads by reseeding itself or vegetatively, by rooting at the leaf nodes along the stems. It sets flowers and seeds at the same time and can spread rapidly. The root system is shallow and fibrous making it easy to pull unwanted plants by hand.
Despite its weediness, chickweed does have some positive attributes. The stem, leaves and flowers are all edible. It attracts bees, butterflies and songbirds, and is a host plant for many moth species as well as butterflies in the Elfin family which includes Henry's elfin (Callophrys henrici), Hoary elfin (Callophrys polios), Brown elfin (Callophrys augustinus), and Eastern Pine elfin (Callophrys niphon).
The flowers open in the morning and remain open for about 12 hours. They do not open in dull weather. The leaves fold up at night, enfolding and protecting the tender buds of new shoots.
Diseases, Insects and Other Plant Problems: It is listed as invasive by the NC Invasive Plant Council. It is often considered a weed, especially on lawns, but it can be well managed by applying a preemergent herbicide. Be sure to follow the labeled instructions for correct use. The leaves contain saponins, which, although toxic, are very poorly absorbed by the body and tend to pass through without causing harm. The saponins are broken down by thorough cooking.
VIDEO Created by Homegrown featuring Travis Birdsell, County Extension Director and Extension Agent for Ashe County Extension
- Profile Video:
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Stellaria
- Species:
- media
- Family:
- Caryophyllaceae
- Uses (Ethnobotany):
- Food source for poultry. Chickweed also has a long history of herbal use in the external treatment of any kind of itching skin condition.
- Life Cycle:
- Annual
- Recommended Propagation Strategy:
- Seed
- Stem Cutting
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- Eurasia and North Africa
- Distribution:
- Throughout the United States.
- Fire Risk Rating:
- low flammability
- Wildlife Value:
- Attracts bees, butterflies and songbirds. Host plant for many butterfly and moth species
- Edibility:
- The leaves, flowers, stems, and seeds are edible. They can be used raw in a salad or lightly cooked. Best harvested when the flowers are in bloom. Taste is reminiscent of spinach or corn silk.
- Dimensions:
- Height: 0 ft. 4 in. - 1 ft. 8 in.
- Width: 0 ft. 4 in. - 1 ft. 0 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Annual
- Edible
- Weed
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Semi-evergreen
- Habit/Form:
- Ascending
- Creeping
- Dense
- Horizontal
- Spreading
- Growth Rate:
- Rapid
- Maintenance:
- Low
- Texture:
- Medium
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
- Soil Texture:
- Clay
- High Organic Matter
- Loam (Silt)
- Soil pH:
- Acid (<6.0)
- Neutral (6.0-8.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Occasional Flooding
- Occasionally Wet
- Available Space To Plant:
- Less than 12 inches
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Mountains
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b, 10a, 10b, 11a, 11b
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Fall
- Winter
- Fruit Type:
- Capsule
- Fruit Description:
- Each flower is replaced by a cylindrical seed capsule that is light brown with 6 small teeth along its upper rim; it contains several seeds. Each mature seed is reddish brown, somewhat flattened, and orbicular-reniform; its surface is minutely bumpy.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- White
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Cyme
- Flower Value To Gardener:
- Good Cut
- Good Dried
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Spring
- Summer
- Winter
- Flower Shape:
- Star
- Flower Petals:
- 4-5 petals/rays
- Colored Sepals
- Flower Size:
- < 1 inch
- Flower Description:
- Individual flowers occur from the axils of the outer pairs of leaves, while the stems terminate in small cymes of white flowers. Each flower is about ¼ inch across, consisting of 5 white bifid petals (appearing to be 10 petals), 5 green sepals, 3 white styles, 2 to 10 stamens, and a light green ovary in the center. The sepals are lanceolate, hairy on the outer surface, and longer than the petals; each sepal is at least 1/8 inch long. The slender pedicels are finely pubescent. The blooming period occurs during the spring for plants that are winter annuals, and during the summer or autumn for plants that are summer annuals. A typical plant will bloom sporadically for 1-2 months.
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Semi-evergreen
- Leaf Color:
- Green
- Leaf Value To Gardener:
- Edible
- Deciduous Leaf Fall Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Leaf Type:
- Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
- Simple
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Opposite
- Leaf Shape:
- Elliptical
- Ovate
- Leaf Margin:
- Entire
- Hairs Present:
- Yes
- Leaf Length:
- < 1 inch
- Leaf Width:
- < 1 inch
- Leaf Description:
- Leaves are larger toward the tips of the stems, spanning up to ¾ inch in length and ½ inch across. Toward the base of the plant usually have short petioles that are slightly hairy, while the leaves near the tip of each stem are usually sessile. The leaves are oval-ovate, to broadly elliptic entire (toothless) along their margins, and hairless on the upper surface; the lower surface is occasionally hairy.
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Stem:
- Stem Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Green
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Surface:
- Hairy (pubescent)
- Stem Description:
- The succulent stems are green or burgundy and often have lines of white hairs.
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Landscape:
- Attracts:
- Butterflies
- Songbirds
- Problems:
- Weedy
