Your help is appreciated. We depend on donations to help keep this site free and up to date for you. Can you please help us?

Donate

Native Plant Trust: Go Botany Discover thousands of New England plants

Questions and Answers: 2021

Question: Hello ace botanists, I have a question about this plant, which I believe to be chickweed. I know there are …

  • Question

    Hello ace botanists, I have a question about this plant, which I believe to be chickweed. I know there are multiple chickweeds, which all look exactly the same to me, so I am requesting expert assistance on its identification. I tried to get a close photo of a single flower, but they are quite small. Thanks in advance.

    Answer

    Dear chickenparmesan24, good morning. The plant you photographed looks like Stellaria media (common stitchwort), a member of the Caryophyllaceae. This species has petals with such a deep notch that they appear to be two separate petals (providing the illusion of ten total petals per flower). Stellaria media also has short stalks on the leaves (at least the lower ones), which isn't found in any of the other common species. Best wishes.