Leaf
Nicolas Sennavoine, Tela Botanica · CC BY-SA 2.0
Common chickweed
Stellaria media (L.) Vill.
Also known as: Chickweed
Family: Caryophyllaceae
5 to 30 cm
Gardens, crops, wasteland, almost all year round
Flowering: All year round
Full sun
Part shade
Very hardy, to -15°C
❓ How do you recognise this plant?
A single line of hairs runs along one side of the stem only — visible with a hand lens, a very reliable criterion.
🍃 Leaves
Small, ovate, opposite, borne on spreading stems
🌸 Flowers
Tiny, white, petals so deeply split that they seem doubled
🍎 Fruits
Small capsule with many seeds
🪵 Bark
Slender stem marked with a line of hairs on one side only
🗺️ Distribution
Cosmopolitan, native to Eurasia; very common in France all year round in gardens and crops
🐝 Value for pollinators
Tiny white flowers visited by small insects, flowering almost continuously all year round
✂️ Horticultural uses
Regarded as a garden weed, with no ornamental use
⚠️ Possible toxicity
No known toxicity; young shoots edible
🌿 Other Caryophyllaceae to discover
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.
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