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Weed Identification in Nurseries and Landscapes

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Mouseear chickweed - Cerastium fontanum ssp. vulgare (Hartman) Greuter & Burdet
Weed Identification in Nurseries and Landscapes > Mouseear chickweed
Mouseear chickweed seedling
Mouseear chickweed seedling.
Mouseear chickweed plant
Mouseear chickweed plant.
Life cycle:: Patch-forming perennial.

Reproduction: Seeds and creeping stems.

Leaves: Opposite, dark green, oval to spatula-shaped leaves with pointed tips and smooth margins are densely hairy and stalkless.

Stems: Prostrate, spreading stems are capable of rooting at the nodes to form dense patches. Stems are slender and very finely hairy with swollen nodes.

Flowers and fruit: Small, white flowers have five petals. Each petal is notched deeply to resemble a pair of petals. Green, hairy sepals surround petals.
Fruit are slightly curved, cylinder-shaped capsules that contain many tiny, brown seeds.
Mouseear chickweed flowers Mouseear chickweed flowers and fruit
Mouseear chickweed flowers. Mouseear chickweed flowering stem.

Similar weeds: Common chickweed [Stellaria media (L.) Vill.] Differs by having an annual habit with hairless leaves and light green foliage.

Common chickweed foliage and flowers
Common chickweed plant.

Common chickweed plant
Common chickweed plant.
Common chickweed flower
Common chickweed flower.

The MSU IPM Program maintains this site as an access point to pest management information at MSU. The IPM Program is administered within the Department of Entomology, fueled by research from the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station, delivered to citizens through MSU Extension, and proud to be a part of Project GREEEN.
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Updated: 10/18/07