Question: Hello! I'm trying to identify all the flowers that grow near my house. I found some chickweed that has me …
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Question
Hello! I'm trying to identify all the flowers that grow near my house. I found some chickweed that has me stumped on the exact species. I think it's either Giant Chickweed or European Chickweed. I live in the Boston area, and both plants seem to be found in Eastern Massachusetts. I would appreciate some help with how to tell these two apart.
Answer
Dear KumaAra, good morning. You appear to have a species of Silene (campion). Note the fused sepals that form the green cup at the base of the flower. This structure would not be present in species of chickweed (Cerastium) or stitchwort (Stellaria). The flowers look most like Silene vulgaris (bladder campion). Best wishes.
